The Rays of Light
by Chibi-Sen1124
Summary: Taking place after The Promised Day, Ed and Al still find themselves on an adventure to begin their life. A multi-chapter story that takes place during the two years and after. Hardships, laughter, and love surround the golden trio on their journey. (EdxWinry)
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own Nikko. Enjoy!)**

Alphonse was lying under the tree beside the Rockbell house, the long green grass tickling his arms and bare feet. He sighed, a content sigh, listening to his heartbeat and also the sound of his breathing. Having his body back… there simply just wasn't a word (or any words for that matter) to explain how overjoyed he felt. When he accidentally cut his finger while using the knife to make himself a snack, the pain made him remember that he once again had a body. He hadn't realized that Winry walked in at that moment and was yelling at him for smiling like an idiot while he was staring at his bleeding finger. Al began to laugh at that memory. It happened not to long ago after Ed and Al returned.

"Hey, Al! Are you over here?!" Ed shouted, walking around the house, looking for Al. _Speaking of Ed_, Al thought to himself.

"I'm over here, brother." Al shouted back to him. When Ed saw him, he gave him a grin and plopped down beside him, his legs sprawled out and his arms supporting him as he laid back.

"What are you doing here, all alone?" Ed asked, still grinning. Al was starting to get suspicious. Did Ed do something to his stuff? He hadn't really brought anything important from Central to Resembool and he really didn't own a lot except clothes. Or maybe…

"Have you finally confessed your love to Winry?" Al asked, a mischievous grin on his face. Ed's cheeks slowly began to get pink. Al had to use all of his inner strength to not laugh. He turned around to not face his older brother practically dying of embarrassment. While he turned around, his shoulders began to shake and he kept snorting.

"No! Damn it all! Why'd you have to go and say something stupid like that!? Obviously, now is not the right time for it but maybe soon-" Ed felt his cheeks get even hotter. He just confessed to his brother that he's in love with Winry. Oh no, he's never going to let that down. He looked at Al who was staring at him, eyes wide open. Finally, a huge smile began to grow on his face.

"You _are_ in love with her! Where's Winry? I have to tell her this!" He was about to get up before Ed grabbed his wrist.

"You do it and I won't give you the surprise. In fact, if you tell Winry about this, I'll tell you what my surprise is and never give it to you." Al sat down, angrily, and sat across from Ed. Both Ed and Al sat criss-cross and arms over their chest. They stared each other down until Al finally submitted himself to his curiosity about Ed's surprise.

"What did you get me?" he asked Ed. Ed's grin returned. He stood up and helped his brother on his feet. They both walked to the front of the house where a box was waiting. It was already open though. Al saw a small golden furry head with green eyes peek out of the box, staring at him.

"Meow." The little animal's quiet meow barely reached across the porch. Al's heart slowly began to swell. He looked at Ed, who was still grinning.

"I happened to find this cute little guy walking down our road. I went everywhere around Resembool to see if it had an owner. Apparently, one of our neighbor's cats just had a litter of kitties a month ago. This one ran away when he let all the kitties out of the house to stretch their legs. He let me keep him but obviously you like cats more than me so…" Al was filled with so much happiness. He could hardly contain it.

"Are you sure?! Can I really keep him!?" Al asked, excitement filling his voice. Ed gave him a small nod, a bit embarrassed by his own kindness. Al slowly walked to the golden kitten in the box and began to touch its silky fur. He hadn't felt a kitten in so many years. He was finally able to feel their fur again. _Soft and fluffy_, he thought. It reminded him of blankets that had been washed and dried out on a nice spring day. Al didn't realize he was crying until he felt something running down his cheek. The kitten was beginning to nibble on his finger, his sensitive human finger. Ed walked up to Al after he saw that Al hadn't move from his position. When he saw Al crying, he panicked.

"W-why the hell are you crying? Don't you like him? I thought he was kinda cute! Al! What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. Al just shook his head and wiped away his tears. He looked at Ed and smiled.

"Look, brother." He put his other arm up, his skinny but fleshy arm. "I have my body back. I can feel again. It's just… I'm happy." Al's tears still hadn't stopped. Ed just gave him a sigh but smiled back. He understood exactly the way he felt. Sometimes he even had those moments where he couldn't help but just look at his right arm, pinching at his skin, hoping this wasn't just some dream.

"I-I can feel the sunlight on my body again! I can taste Winry's apple pie! I can sleep!" Al looked at the golden little kitty, still nibbling his finger.

"Thank you for getting my body back, brother." Ed felt as if someone had just knocked the wind out of him. He looked up at the sky, blinking back tears. He felt so...free? No, that wasn't the word for it. He finally did something_ right_. He helped his brother, the only person in his family left, get back what he rightly deserved. The feeling he had been carrying in his heart for so, so long was gone. The memories of the journey wouldn't ever leave though. But he did something right for once, hadn't he? He looked at his little brother, who was wiping away his tears.

"Idiot, what kind of reason is that to cry?" he ruffled Al's hair as if they were little kids again. He sat down next to the box and stroked the little kitten's fur as well with his right hand.

"So, what are you going to name him?" Ed asked. Al gave a thoughtful look before finally answering him.

"Nikko."

**(A/N: Nikko means sunlight in Japanese.)**


	2. Chapter 2

Winry kept chewing her lip angrily. She stared down at the piece of paper, teasing her with the multiple scratches and frustrated writing. The tip of her pen was full of bite marks, each a bit deeper than the ones before it. Winry sighed and sagged her body on the chair, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. She began to wonder if she'll ever be able to figure out a stupid phrase that defined her and her automail...using only seven words. Each she had done was lame and stupid until the most recent one made her want to crawl into a hole. The best automail you have ever seen! It was so cliche and unoriginal but she couldn't think of anything else. Her patience was wearing thin and to top it off, she was working with an empty stomach. Her stomach was killing her but she was determined to finish the stupid phrase before she did anything else. Her grandmother took over all of her appointments for the day. _You have to finish this first before you can do anymore automail work_, she had told her.

"Damn it, why can't I figure out one single sentence?" she asked herself quietly. All of a sudden, she felt something brush her leg. She looked down to see Nikko, Al's cat that Ed had gotten for him. She grabbed him and let him snuggle in her arms. His soft and golden coat was shining, even if the curtains were blocking the sun from inside the room. Gently, she stroked his back and he began to purr.

"Oh! There you are, Nikko." Al said, walking inside Winry's room. Hearing the sound of Al's voice, Nikko jumped off Winry and quickly began to scratch softly at Al's legs, begging for attention. Al smiled at the little cat and picked him up in his arms, just as Winry had done only seconds ago.

"Hey Winry, what are you doing in here all alone?" he asked her. She sighed, remembering the reason she had secluded herself to her room.

"In a few weeks, the best automail engineers are going to a convention. Each automail engineer has to present their best work and a phrase that goes along with it. The person wins new tools and they gain a lot of new customers with the attraction. I was chosen to go. I have the automail but I just need the phrase. So here I am, since the crack of dawn trying to figure out one stupid sentence but nothing seems to come into my mind." she explained to him. Al looked down on the sheet of paper in front of her, trying to read all the ones she has already come up with. The last one he saw made me smile. It was corny but still, it had enthusiasm all over it.

"Do you need my help? I'm not really doing anything so I don't mind helping you." he asked her. She gave a sigh of relief.

"Yes, please! That would really make things easier!" she exclaimed, happy with his offer. He sat on her bed and together they tried to figure out a sentence. But each time one came up with something, the other found something that was wrong with it. After a while, they both saw that this would go nowhere. Al didn't feel like he was much use and Winry was about ready to explode. She could feel her anger rising and decided it would be better if Al wasn't there because she felt that the next sentence he offered would make her snap.

"Listen Al, I think I got it from here. I really appreciate your help." she gave him a smile to show she was happy with his effort. He smiled back at her, easing her anger. He heard Pinako call him from downstairs and he left Nikko on her bed.

"For company." he explained when she gave him a confused look. She nodded at him and waited until he left to start brainstorming again. Until-

THUMP!

"Damn it! Why would you leave this lying around, you shorty!?" Ed yelled to Pinako from downstairs. Winry was barely able to make out Pinako's remark when she heard Ed again.

"Then tell Winry to hurry up and finish whatever the hell she's doing!" he yelled back. There was a slight pause (most likely Pinako inhaling her pipe) until she yelled back.

"It's not easy to write something like that, you runt! If you think you can do it, then you go help her!" Winry laughed, silently thanking her grandmother for defending her. Then she heard the sound of loud footsteps coming up the stairs. They got louder until they made it to her room where an angry Ed stood at the doorway to her room, with a half-eaten sandwich in his hand.

"Okay, what the hell is taking you so long to write something as simple as one sentence?!" he yelled. Winry grabbed the wrench sitting on the table and flung it at him. He was able to dodge it but not the second one coming his way.

"Shut up, you! It's hard to think with you making so much noise!" she yelled at him. He rubbed his head and looked at Winry angrily. He walked towards her desk and Winry, being stubborn, covered her paper and huffed out an angry sigh. Ed gave her a small frown.

"Come on, Winry. Let me see it so you can help your grandmother." he said, holding out his hand for her paper. She slowly gave him the paper and he handed her his sandwich. Her stomach growled loudly and they both looked at each other, Winry with her cheeks slightly pink and Ed with wide eyes. He sighed.

"Maybe the reason you can't figure this out is because you haven't eaten. You can have the rest of my sandwich." he said to her. She gave him a big smile and took a huge bite out of the sandwich. Ed read each phrase, snorting or slightly groaning at each one he read. Winry was getting madder and madder with every little "comment" he had about about her phrase. When he finally read the last one, he burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach and tears were rolling down his face.

"Ed, if you're going to make fun of me instead of helping me, then get out!" she yelled at him. He shook his head, still laughing. When he finally calmed down, he gave her the paper back and sat on her desk, looking at her.

"Okay, I admit. Those are really bad. But that last one was really cute because it practically yelled 'You know what, here's my damn phrase.' Winry, I'm pretty sure you don't need my help to figure out one sentence. You just aren't putting yourself in it. You're only thinking about your automail. Think about you then your automail." he said, his voice serious. Winry's heart thumped in her chest. Sometimes she forgot that Ed was able to be serious if he put his whole mind into it. It was these small things that made Winry love Ed. Her face grew warm and she looked away. She knew she was in love with Ed but saying it in her head was still new to her. When she looked back at him, he was looking out the window to her room. She caught a small glimpse of the sunset outside. Flames of reds and oranges overtook the blue sky.

"Hey Ed. Thanks. I think I got it." she said to him, giving him a smile. He looked at her and he frowned.

"You aren't giving me this pitiful smile, are you? I didn't even mention a single phrase that might help and yet you say you have it...Are you just trying to get rid of me?" he asked suspiciously. She had already written down the phrase on a new sheet of paper. She stood up, stretching each stiff muscle.

"Nope. I actually got it. You can say that you somehow were my inspiration." she said, giving him a genuine smile. He blushed slightly, getting off the desk and mumbling something about being straight forward.

"Anyway, let's go downstairs to grab you something to eat. I highly doubt that sandwich filled you up." They headed downstairs, already arguing about something else.

Nikko didn't feel comfortable anymore and decided that Winry's desk looked a lot better. He was able to use her chair to jump on her table. He laid down on Winry's new clean of paper, where one phrase was written in small handwriting.

_The light you wished for? It's strength._


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: This story has been on my mind the whole week and i finally perfected it into a really long chapter. Sorry about that, please bare with me on that. I didn't want to make it into two chapters. This chapter is a bit sad but you'll enjoy it.)**

Small rays of sunshine seeped through the smallest cracks they could find inside of Ed's room. Each light was brighter than the other since it had rain the night before and it made the room look more crisper. A ray made its way to Ed's face, hoping to wake him up from his sleep but he had already been awake for a while. His golden hair was still wet with sweat and his eyes were wild yet glossy with last night tears. It was a nightmare but not the last of many. He knew a nightmare was in store from him the night before. The rain was an emotional trigger for him, small memories resurfacing from the past. In reality, it was only years ago but they way he said it made him seem he was much older than he looked. The nightmare consisted of his mother. His soft and sweet mother.

In the nightmare, she was caressing a young Ed who's hair wasn't even long enough to be put in a ponytail. She was stroking his gold hair that reminded her so much of Hohenheim. He was hugging her back, his eyes threatening to spill with happy tears. He looked up at her, only to see her crying angry and wrathful tears.

"Why would you put you and your brother through such hardships, Ed? All you had to do was let me go in the beginning and none of it would have happened. Nina, Alexander, Hughes. It's all your fault!" Each word became a harsh whisper and Ed did begin to cry but with guilt and sadness.

"I didn't mean it, mom! I loved you too much to let you go! Please, I'm sorry!" he plead in the dream. Trisha let go of him and began to walk away. Ed tried to stand but he didn't have his right leg. He would extend his arm to her, pleading for her to come back. Then, he woke up. He knew the dream was something in his subconscious mind not wanting to let go of. But he didn't know what it was.

"Brother! Time to get up!" Ed heard Al's voice from downstairs. Truthfully, Ed would rather stay in his room and mope about his dream, but what use was that? He got up from his bed and stretched out his stiff muscles.

"I'm up, Al! Get breakfast ready for me, would ya?" he yelled back. He could imagine Al's smile and him agreeing to his request.

"Sure, Ed! But you have to help too, okay? So, hurry up and get down here!" Al yelled back. Then he heard Den's bark, most likely him letting AL know he had to go do his morning business.

"On second thought, can you start without me? I'll be back in five minutes!" Before Ed could respond, he heard the front door slam shut. Ed chuckled at Al's luck.

"Looks like I have to make breakfast again." he said to himself. His eyes made its way to the window. In his mind, he was already ruling out the possibility of it raining again tonight. He slowly walked over to the window and slightly pulled the curtains. The sunlight was having a battle with the dark clouds looming over Resembool. And so far, the sunlight was winning. But I have the worst luck in the world, so it could change throughout the day he thought to himself. He pulled the curtain back into place and decided to change into a red sweater and black pants. When he was pulling his hair back into a ponytail, he noticed that it already reached almost to his lower back.

"I should ask Winry to cut it for me later." he said. Then he remembered that she was at Rush Valley for that convention with Pinako. She would either be back the next day or the day after that. Or never since Winry loves Rush Valley so much. Ed blushed a little at the thought of "Winry loves". He couldn't help but think about his own thoughts and Winry. Because of Lieutenant Hawkeye's comment about him loving Winry, he had became a bit self-conscious towards her. It was impossible not to notice that she was, in fact, beautiful. And kind. And sweet. And an automail freak who turned into a demon at the sight of a very well-made automail. He had to smile at that. It was so like her to do that.

"Maybe I should tell her that I love he-"

"Will you stop thinking about Winry for a couple of seconds and get down here to start breakfast?! You were supposed to have already started it!" Al yelled from downstairs. Ed felt his cheeks warm up and he yelled back at his brother.

"Shut up, Al! I was not thinking about Winry." Damn lie he thought to himself. He could practically feel AL's gaze that said Yeah right.

"Suuuuuure Brother. Whatever you say." Ed stomped downstairs and began to yell at his brother for teasing him but Al could only just laugh because Ed's red cheeks confirmed what he had suspected.

LINE BREAK YO

After Ed and AL finished their breakfast, Ed suggested they would go to the small lake not that far away from the Rockbell house.

"It's time we start strengthening your muscles again, Al. And I think a little physical exercise will do us good." he said, a smile on his lips. Al sighed, looking out the window.

"It looks like it might rain, Brother. I think we can walk to the lake and come back before the rain hits us." Al suggested instead.

"You just don't want to fight yet. You think you're not ready yet?" his brother asked. Al looked at his body, as if he was examining the inside.

"Not yet. I still get these weird black outs. I know you are itching to fight again but you're going to have to wait. Sorry, Ed." Ed ruffled his little brother's hair.

"Eh, no worries. Besides, that gives me enough time for me to strengthen my body again since I've been doing nothing but sitting on my butt this whole time. Anyway, I think walking to the lake is enough exercise for you." Ed said to him. They eventually agreed to the plan and left the house in Nikko's care, taking Den with them. They slowly walked to the lake, watching the clouds take over each any light that escaped its grasp.

"I-I had a dream about Mom last night." Ed said slowly and quietly. Al kept looking forward, and gave a small nod for Ed to continue. Ed began to explain his nightmare to his little brother, hating that he had to tell him what he felt. But for some reason, he felt that Al knew what his mind wanted. When he finished telling him the dream, they both stopped to see the lake in front of them. A strong wind howled across and sent ripples on the surface.

"I think it's going to start raining soon. I know we just made it here, but we should head back." Al said. Ed just gave his brother a look and followed him back the other way. He expected Al to give him feedback to his nightmare but maybe he just didn't have any.

"I think your mind, your subconscious mind as you called it, feels that mom isn't proud of you. That is, if mom were to see you or us, she would feel sad at the choices we have made. That's what I think your dream means." Al finally said. Ed felt as if someone had ripped his heart out of his chest. It's his worst fear, finally said out loud. What he had started was all for his mother. But maybe she wasn't proud of him. A child's fear is having their parents think they're a disappointment. And despite Ed's age, he still felt like that child at times. He stayed quiet, walking beside Al with his head down.

"Sorry, Al. I didn't want to burden you with my dream. I feel like you were the best one who would have understood me." Ed said to him. They walked back quietly to the house, with a small little figure on the front porch.

"Well, it's about time you got home. I don't know what you boys were up to but I made lunch." Pinako said to the sulking boys. She noticed their moods and decided to not say anything else.

"Where's Winry, Pinako?" Al asked. Pinako inhaled a puff of smoke from her pipe and turned to Al.

"She's still not home yet. She told me to go home early because she was worried about the two of you. Good thing I came home early too. You both look horrible." While Al kept his conversation going with Pinako, Ed went upstairs to his room. He stayed in there the whole day, reading books he hasn't read since Trisha was alive. Around the evening, Al brought a plate up of dinner for Ed. He didn't say anything and left Ed alone. The rain had slowly started to fall again.

LINE BREAK NUMERO DOS YO

Ed stared at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the rain fall on the ground. He couldn't sleep. Actually, it was more like he didn't want to sleep. He was scared of the dream appearing again. He laid on his bed, not moving a single inch. Eventually, he felt his eyes getting heavier. He struggled to stay awake. Not yet he thought. Sleep finally took over.

_"Edward. Are you okay?" Trisha asked Ed, who had fallen from the swing on the tree. His knee was bleeding and she had gone to hug him, making him feel better. He hugged her tightly, inhaling her vanilla and tea scent. She stroked his hair, and he felt instantly better. But he had this weird feeling in his mind. Like this had happened before. He looked up to see his mother with tears in her eyes full of anger and...disappointment._

_"Why did you do it, Ed? WHY? Because of you, they're gone. Because of you!" She pulled away from him and began to leave. Ed was about to get up to run after her, but his leg had disappeared. He looked at her walking away, desperation in his eyes._

_"No, wait. Come back! Please! I'm sorry, mom! I'M SORRY!"_

Ed gasped loudly, breathing heavily afterwards. Tears fell down his eyes and he couldn't stop crying. He hadn't notice somebody come in. The person slowly sat down on his bed and pulled him close to their lap. He didn't care who it was. He wrapped his arms around a slender and obviously feminine waist. The person slowly began to run their fingers through his hair.

"Shh. It's okay, Ed. I'm here. I'm here." Winry's voice began to sooth Ed and he was finally able to calm down. He was too embarrassed to look at her and he wasn't sure it this was another dream either. He didn't want to see her eyes filled with disappointment.

"I came in your room because I wanted to borrow your jacket since it was cold in my room. When I walked inside, you were already crying. A-are you okay now, Edward?" His heart was still beating rapidly in his chest and he shook his head in her lap.

"I'm scared this is a dream. I'm scared you're going to look at me with eyes filled with hate or regret or anything. I don't want to look at you." he whispered so softly that Winry would have missed all of it if she hadn't been listening carefully. Using her hand, she moved his head towards hers and he was keeping his eyes shut. Without really thinking about it, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, real close to his lips. He was so surprised he opened his eyes. He saw Winry looking at him with care and worry on her face. Her long blond hair was falling down on her chest, silky and wavy like a river. She gave him a small smile and he gave a smile back.

"There? You see? No hate in my eyes. Just lo-" she stopped and was turning really red. So was he. They both stayed quiet until they heard the sound of the rain grow louder. He finally decided to take a step that would either take him forward or reeeeally far back.

"Since you said it was cold in your room, w-why don't you sleep here?" he said quietly. He had turned away so he wouldn't see her expression. The silence was unbearable. Finally, Winry spoke.

"Scooch over, then." He was surprised he hadn't gotten a wrench to his head since it didn't sound right. But take away what sleeping in a bed meant to an adult, it was just two really close friends sleeping together. She found her way underneath the blankets and they awkwardly got comfortable. After they got comfortable, it was just awkward.

"You know, I got home a little bit earlier. I think you were asleep already. I talked to Al and he told me the dream you had. He said he was worried about you. And I can't help but think that you're both wrong, Ed. Regardless of what has happened these past few years, your mom would never be disappointed in you. It's the path that a parent has chosen when giving life to you. To always be by your side, no matter what choices you make. Because, in the end, after you make a couple mistakes you learn what the right choices are." Winry whispered to him.. Ed smiled at Winry.

"Thanks, Winry. That means a lot to me." he whispered back. Sleep finally took over the both of them. Later in the night, Ed had placed his hand over her waist, pulling Winry closer to him. Winry had snuggled up into his chest. Oh, the teasing they would get in the morning.

_Trisha looked at the man Ed had become. He was obviously tall and undoubtedly a person who has experienced so much. He stood, fidgeting and waiting for her to say something. She walked close to him and slowly pulled him into an embrace. Tears were falling down her eyes and he hugged her back._

_"Oh, Ed. I love you so much. And I could never be anymore proud of you. Both me and your father are happy with everything you've accomplished. Tell Al that I love him for me, would you dear?" she pulled away and kissed his forehead. When she did walk away, Ed didn't stop her. She walked beside Hohenheim and following them was a very happy Nina and Alexander waving bye to him. Hughes gave a big smile at Ed and saluted him._

_"Tell my little rays of light I love them the next time you see them, okay Ed?" he said. Ed nodded at him and watched them all go._

**(A/N: I would really like to know what you guys thought about this chapter. I enjoyed it and the ending gets to me everytime I re-read it. Reviews?  
Hint: expect some of the other characters in the future.)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Milk." Edward said as he looked at the glass bottle next to his mouth watering plate of breakfast. It was placed there by a certain blonde hair mechanic geek with a wrench in her hand at the moment. She glared at him and slammed the wrench on the table, making Al who was also at the dinner table, flinch and drink his glass of milk in one gulp. But it was Ed she was fighting with and she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Yes, Ed. Milk. It's an essential part of a good breakfast. Since you're going out to run errands for me and Grandmother after, I didn't want you dying on the way back because of hunger pains. Got it? So drink your milk." she said forcefully. He crossed his arms over his chest and just ignored Winry.

"Milk isn't going to do me any good. I don't need it. Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but I've grown quite a bit." He said with a smirk. Winry suddenly remembered yesterday night sleeping in his room. She remembered the way his arms had wrapped around her body, protecting her and holding her as if to say She's mine. He was no longer the small boy she had grown up with. He was a man who seemed ready to fight for everyone he loved. And it scared her to see him so...mature.

"Ed, wipe that stupid smirk on your face and just drink your milk." she said, annoyed and frustrated he wasn't drinking his milk.

"Maybe I don't want to." he replied back, the smirk still not gone from his face. Al looked at Ed in horror and looked back at Winry.

"Brother, please just drink the milk." Al whispered to Ed from across the table. Winry gave Ed her death glare and held the wrench over her head. Ed's smirk slowly disappeared.

"Winry…" he warned. But before he could try and dodge the wrench, it flew across the table and hit him square on the head. His soul slowly wavered out of his body. Al got up from the table and ran to Ed.

"I got your soul, Brother!" he said, placing his soul back in Ed's body. Winry sighed and took back everything she said about him. Yet she couldn't stop herself from blushing at the thought of last night.**  
**

LINE BREAK YO

Ed and Al walked out of the house after they Winry had finished giving them a long list of what they needed. Ed stretched out both his arms and groaned.

"Ugh, my arm is killing. I wonder why." he said more to himself than to Al. Al raised his eyebrows at him and give him a mischievous smile .

"Oh? Maybe it was the way you were holding Winry in your arms?"he said. Ed was too far off in his thoughts to give an excuse.

"No, I was pretty comfortable. Maybe it was something else." It wasn't until after he said it that he realized that he just confessed to his brother that Winry slept in his room last night. His cheeks burned a bright red and he walked ahead. Al knew he hit the bull's eye.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! What happened? Did you give her an excuse like 'Oh, it's cold tonight. Let me warm you with my body heat.' Or maybe it was 'Winry, my love! I'm restless without you beside me!'" Al couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he had to stop walking in order to clutch his stomach. Ed hit him in the head and Al yelped, rubbing where Ed had hit him.

"Quit it! I didn't say anything so cheesy or weird to her. And that's a horrible way to seduce someone to get in bed with you. I would never do that." Al just frowned at him and kept walking. Ed gave a shaky sigh.

"It's not raining any more." Al said, noticing the bright sunlight escaping from the puffy white clouds. Ed nodded in agreement and also looked at the sky. He placed his hands behind his head, trying to figure out a way to describe what happened last night.

"I had a nightmare last night. I didn't think that I...would actually cry from it. It was the same as before with mom. I guess Winry heard me crying and she just sat there on my bed with me. I don't really remember everything that happened last night. I just suggested her sleeping with me since it was a bit cold. Then, when I woke up, she was in my bed. That's it." Ed could hear his thoughts practically sassing him. Ed, that is such a lie. You remember everything. You have practically every detail of last night burned into your memory. Don't lie. Ed felt his cheeks get warm again and he shook his head to try and ignore his memory coming back to him.

"Brother, you are a liar."Al said. Ed gave him a confused look and he thought that Al knew he was keeping the truth from him.

"You did use a cheesy line." Al replied to him with an amusing look.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Brother, you just said that you asked Winry to sleep in your bed because it was cold. That was a cheesy line. And a clever one too. I wonder how you were able to think of that." Al began to laugh again and Ed just walked away from him. Al had to run to catch up to him. They walked in silence for a little while longer. Until Al spoke again.

"Do you love Winry?" Ed turned a bright red, and he began to sputter excuses to the person who knows him too well for that.

"C'mon. Don't just say that she's like family to you. You can't lie to me." Al said. Ed sighed and looked out onto the fields beside the dirt road. A white butterfly flew across the field and landed on a sunflower.

"I don't know, Al. When you ask me that question, my heart begins to race and my mind turns to mush. Maybe I do. Maybe I love her and I don't want to let her go. I want to have her all to myself. She's the person who kept me strong and she's a giver of life. Sometimes I feel like I can't breath when she's in the same room because I just want to hug her tightly in my arms." Al felt like hearts were flying all around him and Ed. pretended to wave them away.

"See? Then what's wrong with telling her how you feel?" Al asked.

"Because I don't know if she feels the same way. And if I do tell her and she doesn't feel the same way, we can never return to the way it was before. It would be too awkward." Ed explained. Al looked at his brother. It was obvious to him that Ed was becoming aware that he wanted protect what he loves. He doesn't want to lose anymore people and he certainly would fight to protect what is most important in his heart.

"Brother, I have to say, you are certainly becoming a romantic. Have you been reading any romance novels?" Al said mischievously. Ed hit him lightly on the head and was too busy thinking about someone else to defend himself. Until he remembered something.

"Al, I have to tell you something." Ed stopped Al by grabbing his arm. He looked at his younger brother. He was obviously a lot stronger than before and he looked healthier than ever. He was also a grown man who was beginning to understand what it meant to protect everyone as well.

"After I fell asleep, I had a dream about mom. I-I'm not even sure if it was a dream. But in the dream, she...she told me to tell you that she loves you." Al's eyes became glossy and he walked away from his brother. Ed felt his throat tighten. He didn't think it would be hard to say that. He caught up to Al. He didn't say anything but when he saw his little brother silently crying, he ruffled his hair and together they made their way.

"Crap. I forgot what we have to get. Can I see the list, Al?" Al turned quickly to face his brother with wide eyes.

"You don't have it?" Ed shook his head.

"I thought you had it." Al explained. They both turned back to see the long stretch of road that lead back to the house.

"Greeeat." they said at the same time. They turned around and headed back where an angry Winry was waiting for them with the list in one hand a wrench in the other.

**(A/N: I'm trying to start the process of Winry and Ed getting together. In baby steps, though. There's a myth that I believe in where if you see a white butterfly, your significant other is thinking about you. See what I did there? Anyhow, Can I get some reviews? It'll motivate me to update quicker.)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

(**A/N: I really liked this chapter. It actually made _me_ blush. Enjoy!)**

It was impossible to miss the glances Ed gave to Winry or the ones Winry gave to Ed. At times they were looking at each other, but mostly they weren't. Winry's favorite time to glance at him was when he was reading a book on the sofa with his head hanging over the edge and his feet on the back rest. _It makes the blood flow faster to my head and I think better_ he always says to her when she asks him. Winry would just tell him that he's an idiot and when he remarks something back, all he got was a wrench to his head. It was her favorite time to look at him because he has such a thoughtful and concentrating look on his face. His eyebrows would furrow together, his tongue would stick out slightly from the side, and when he finished a chapter or a part he liked, he would give a smile small that would last until something confusing would appear again.

Ed always looks at Winry when she's working on her automail. That's almost always and each time she works on her automail, she has a different expression. But it's not the expression he likes to look at. It's her life-giving hands. The ones that created his old metal arm and his present metal leg. They work with such grace and swiftness. Even if she works with oil and rough tools. Its what makes her even better. She's not scared to get herself dirty and covered in grime. In fact, she enjoys that part of her work. Obviously, each women has their own unique talent, but hers just requires her to lose sleep and wake up with huge bags under her eyes. Winry isn't one to take care of her appearance yet she's naturally beautiful. Even if she throws a wrench at a certain someone.

What makes all this even more better is they're dense. Like new born lambs. They accept their feelings about one another but they do nothing. One might be extremely impatient at the rate they're going at with their relationship but Al simply finds enjoyment in it. Like now.

"Ed, why do you have your feet on my bed?" Winry asked, obviously annoyed and trying to keep her temper controlled. Al was sitting on the wall opposite from both of them, petting Nikko's golden coat with Den (taking a liking to the newcomer) right beside Al. He was watching this scene unravel with a smirk on his face. Ed was lying on the floor with his legs on her bed, reading. The reason both Ed and Al were in her room? Simple: "I just want to annoy Winry 'cause I'm bored." said Ed with a huge and wicked smile on his face to a worried and not convinced Al. Al just went along with Ed to see what was the real reason for his joke. Winry had obviously pulled an all nighter the night before and had worked straight through the morning and afternoon. Once evening had fallen, she was free to do what she wanted until the next day. She chose sleep. Until she found Ed and Al in her room.

"No reason, really. I just wanted to hang out here. Unless you don't want us here." he said, not taking his eyes off his book. Her eye twitched and she stopped to breathe deeply a couple of times before she spoke again. Al looked at his brother, who was trying his best to keep a straight face.

"Of course I don't mind hanging around with you guys. But I'm pretty beat. If you want, we can do something tomorrow or another time." she said, maintaining her voice as best as she could. Ed finally looked at Winry, giving her a huge grin. Al could see a Winry getting more annoyed with each passing second. But that didn't stop the tiniest of blushes forming on her cheeks.

"Nope" he replied, popping the p. AL sucked in a breath. Did his brother have a death wish? Winry + no sleep= It's not a wrench to the head, it's a whole automail arm. He was stuck now. If he left, he would abandon his brother to Winry's rage making him a traitor but he didn't want to stay either. Winry turned to Al. She placed her fingers on the bridge of her nose, breathing in even deeper before sighing.

"Al, why did you go along with your brother's idea?" she said, clearly angry now, not annoyed. He made a startled noise when she talked to him. As he looked past her and to his brother, Ed only looked at Al with the same stupid grin and gave him a thumbs up. Al felt his anger beginning to rise. _Brother, you obviously don't care about our lives._

"I thought he wanted to talk to you about something important. Isn't that right, Brother?" Al said. Ed wasn't affected by the limelight Al had given him. Winry was obviously an over bubbling pot of anger. Any single thing that turns up the heat will make her explode now.

"Well, I'm waiting Ed." she said. Al couldn't help but cross his arms like Winry when he looked at Ed also. Ed sighed and got up, placing the book on her bed. He stretched his neck, placing his hand over the back of his head. Winry was getting more and more impatient. Al was wondering what the heck his brother was planning.

Ed walked closer to Winry, closing the distance little by little, slowly. Winry was slowly beginning to lose the anger in her eyes and instead began to feel embarrassed. Even Al was feeling awkward. But yet...it couldn't be. _Is he really going to...kiss her?!_ Al thought, surprised. Ed was close to Winry's face now. They were only inches apart.

"Just thought I…" Ed whispered to Winry. Her face was burning red. Yet Ed looked so confident and determined. Al straightened up, already seeing the future dates they would spend together. Ed's lips were close to Winry's until he brushed past them to meet her cheek with his. His lips were close to her ear.

"...would drop by and say hello." Before Ed could even finish the last word, he bolted out the door. Winry's mouth was left open in surprise. Al looked at the barren hallway where Ed ran out to. His palm met his forehead and he let out a groan. Winry quickly bolted out the door after Ed.

"EDWARRRD!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the entire house. The sound of the front door opening echoed as well. Al placed Nikko next to Den and quickly made his way to the window, where night had already fallen. Ed was pretty far already but Winry was running fast. There was obviously an automail arm (one of his that she kept, actually) in her hand. She stopped and threw it as hard as she possibly could. Al was left, stunned. It hit him, straight on his head. He fell to the ground and Winry had yelled a couple of words that a women should never use. Al giggled at them. Regardless of Ed's stupidity, there was a good reason for his joke. He obviously wanted to see if she was affected by him. Winry was oblivious to when people hit on her. But she always become conscious about Ed. Simply, he wanted to see if had any chance of trying to get her heart. Al, being the bystander, saw that they had each other's heart already. He decided he would finally leave Winry the peace he deserved. Before he made his way out, he grabbed his brother's book. He noticed the blank cover was beginning to fall off so he took it off.

"The Rose of His Life: A Guide To Get Your Rose?" Al read. He read the summary to the book. When he was done, he had to re-read it again. Finally, he burst into laughter. Huuuuge laughter. Obviously, this is where he got the idea of playing that joke on Winry. Al was clutching his stomach and he was crying. When he was finally able to catch his breath, he noticed something had fallen out of the book._ Probably a picture of Winry_ he thought to himself, still laughing. It actually turned out to be a letter. The letter yelled **MASCULINE AND MUSCLES.**

**EDWARD ELRIC!**

**It has been too long! How time flies when you are using such strength, like me, to protect so many things?!**

**Anyhow, how is your brother!?**

**Hopefully he has gotten stronger!**

**Say hello to Alphonse for me!**

**Have you finally declared your undying love to Ms. Rockbell yet?!**

**She's a fine flower and it's time to make your move, Edward!**

**I took the opportunity to get this book for you!**

**Hopefully, it does some good!**

**Please be expecting us soon!**

**From**

**ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG**

Al smiled at the thought of seeing everyone again. He shook his laugh and kept laughing. _Brother, why would you read a guide about how to get Winry? You're an idiot._ Al thought Ed's had too much free time and they really needed to get back in shape anyway. Hopefully, he was still able to brawl after the hit he took. I_f he can't, at least his flower will heal him _he thought. He couldn't reach Winry's door before he began to laugh again. That certainly made his night.

**(A/N: Conrtibute to Chibi-Sen1124's charity by giving a review?)**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: Sorry for the delay, my few followers. I hope you aren't mad. It took me a while to start this story. Anyhow, enjoy to your hearts content!)**

Sunlight slowly dripped down onto the valley's and fields of Resembool. The sky had different shades of oranges and reds and only a small strand of blue was seen on the other side. It had a warm effect but in reality, if you went outside at this time of the evening, it was already chilly. Which is why Winry had her hoodie on. Well, technically Ed's hoodie. Her grandmother had asked her to walk Den around since he wasn't getting a lot of exercise just lounging around the house all day. Sounds like Ed and Al on a daily basis she thought to herself. But she knew the real reason for it. Al was still getting stronger but sitting around, reading Alchemy books wouldn't do him any good. She knew he needed to get out and do something. Or at least walk a little more than usual. That would help a whole lot more.

Den began to bark at someone who was walking toward the Rockbell house. She really couldn't tell who it was. But she could tell they were wearing a military uniform. She called to Den, and the dog ran back to her. She was close enough to the house if something were to happen. And if she yelled loud enough, Ed, AL and her grandmother could hear her as well. She thought the person was close enough so she yelled out to them.

"Hey! Are you from Central?" She was finally able to notice who it was. If the buff muscles and tallness weren't obvious enough, then the trademark sparkles all around him completely gave away who he was.

"Major Armstrong?" she said out loud.

"It is I! Alex Louis Armstrong, here for a visit!" Major Armstrong yelled from across the lawn. Winry couldn't help but give a lopsided smile. She wasn't in touch with anybody except for Lieutenant Hawkeye (although she called her Riza now) and seeing old faces was certainly a pleasure.

"It's good to see you again!" she said. Major Armstrong approached Winry and gave her a hug.

"It's been too long. I have missed all of you. Where are the Elric brothers?" he asked, looking around and walked to the side of the house in hope of finding them.

"I'm pretty sure they're both inside the house doing nothing, as usual." she complained. The front door opened and Al slowly walked out.

"Why do I keep hearing Major Armstrong's voice?" he asked, shielding his eyes from the sun. Tears ran down Major Armstrong's eyes and he ran to Al, capturing his in his arms.

"Oh, Alphonse Elric! It feels like ages since I have last seen you!" Major Armstrong spun Al around and around, choking the life out of him.

"I-It's great to see y-you again, Major A-Armstrong!" Al was able to strain out. Major Armstrong put Al down and took a look at him.

"I see you have gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you. I'm glad." Al couldn't help but stand up a little straighter to show pride in his progress.

"It's from all that sitting around, right Al?" Winry teased. Al gave Winry a glare but she wasn't even affected by it.

"I don't just sit around. Sometimes I do other stuff." he said. She gave a _Suuure you do_ look to Al.

"Like what?" she challenged. Al put his index finger and thumb to his chin and looked up at the sky with a thoughtful face. Finally, he spoke.

"Ah. Nothing." he said. Winry's palm connected to her forehead. Major Armstrong gave Al a hard pat on his back and Al felt the wind being knocked out of him.

"Don't worry, Alphonse. You look strong enough to attract any lady in plain sight." Al couldn't help but blush a little at that. Winry giggled at his attempt to cover his red face. Major Armstrong noticed Winry wearing Ed's hoodie and decided to tease her about it.

"And what's this? Is it possible that Edward Elric has finally declared his romantic feelings for you?" he said. Winry was gaping at him, opening and closing her mouth. Al had to cover his stifle and he turned around. But Winry could see his shoulders shaking. Suddenly, she remembered the event that occurred a week ago. She couldn't stop the blush forming on her cheeks.

"So it is true!? Congratulations!" Major Armstrong said. She shook her head but she still couldn't get the words out. Al couldn't hold it in any longer and he burst out in laughter.

"What's with all the noise?" Ed asked, stepping out of the house in a black tank top. He was rubbing his eyes, clearly from being woken up after taking a nap. When he noticed the Major, his eyes went wide.

"Oh, no." he whispered. Major Armstrong began to cry again and was able to grab Ed before he took off into the house again. He spun Ed around, just as he did to Al.

"Edward Elric, it's great to see you again! You have certainly gotten taller, I assure you of that!" Major Armstrong said to him.

"D-damn it, Major. I-I can't breathe." Major Armstrong finally put him down and Edward actually gave him a smile.

"It's good to see you, Major." Everybody look surprised. Actually, they looked dumbstruck. But the Major just smiled back at this small change.

"Anyway, what'cha doing here? I'm pretty sure you're not sight seeing." Ed asked. Al noticed that behind the curiosity in Ed's eyes, there was something else: a secret. He decided that he was going to ask his brother about it later.

"Well, General Mustang sent me here to check on all you. He was curious as to what the trio was up to nowadays." he told them. Winry glared at Ed and he knew full well why she was mad. Al chuckled at them and looked back at Major Armstrong who had clearly understood what had happened.

"Some interesting things have happened recently but mostly it's been neutral." Al replied.

"I see. You all seem to be having fun. And here I was thinking of inviting you back to Central for a visit." Winry and Al held out their arms in denial, telling the Major that they wouldn't mind coming back to Central if they weren't so busy with so many things. Ed, however, kept quiet.

"Hmm. I'll have to tell the General about this then. I'll be returning in a few days though. Is your grandmother home, WInry? I would like to ask her about my request for staying here." he asked Winry. But before Winry could respond, Ed spoke up.

"Sure, why not. It's been a while since we all got together. I'm sure everyone's going to be there, right Major?" There was a hidden message in Ed's and the Major's eyes. Only they both knew what that meant.

"Yes. I'm quite sure that everyone will be there. After all, it's for A-" Ed kicked Major Armstrong's mouth, stopping him from talking. Apparently, the Major didn't understand that it was a_ hidden_ message that the two were sharing. Ed sighed, and the Major rubbed his jaw.

"That was quite a kick, Edward. But you have to do better than that." Ed didn't even have any time to stop the Major before he sent a punch in his way. Ed was able to dodge it, but only by a second.

"Dammit, Major! I'm not trying to start a fight! It's too cold to fight anyway!" he pointed at his black tank top that was horrible at fighting off the bitter cold. Major Armstrong tore off his military jacket and his undershirt, leaving him shirtless.

"Then, let's make this fair! Get ready, Elric brothers!" Ed just tried to flap away the sparkles surrounding the major while Al gave a groan.

"Since when was I a part of this?" he asked. Winry rolled her eyes and walked back inside to leave both boys fending themselves against the Major.

"Craaaap!" Ed's voice echoed throughout the house from outside. Winry made her way back to her work area and sat back down. But she couldn't help but think about what Major Armstrong and Ed most likely have in plan at Central. Sighing, she went back to work before she heard her grandmother.

"Winry, aren't you going to give Ed his hoodie back?" she asked. Winry blushed but didn't bother to take off the hoodie.

"I don't think he'll miss it that much." she responded. Once her grandmother was gone, she took out the letter hidden underneath her automail tools. It was from Riza. When Winry told her about what Ed had done to her, she sent some advice of her own.

_Men have a knack of giving women their sweaters to show affection. Take Edward's jacket and if he doesn't ask for it back, he's telling you something._

Wearing Ed's hoodie was only a test to see if what he did was a joke or if there was a meaning behind it. When he noticed her taking his jacket a couple days ago, he only shrugged and walked by her. But not before he whispered something to her.

"It looks nice on you." Winry's confusion had been answered and since then, she hadn't even thought of giving him back his white hoodie.

**(A/N: You guys remember Ed's white hoodie, right? The one he wore when he came back to Resembool? Or how about when Winry was it wearing on the last episode at the train station? See what i did theeere? So yes, more old familiar faces are coming back as well...What is this hidden message between Ed and Major Armstrong? What is going to happen at Central? Why am I asking so many questions!?  
Anyway, review please?)**

**(A/N Part 2: For any of you Royai shippers, I was thinking about doing a one-shot about them. Look out for it in the really near future!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N: WHAT? Chibi-Sen1124, you updated so quickly?! Yeah, I know. But I really want to get to the important part that is yet to come. I think this might be the longest chapter so far. I could be wrong. Hopefully you don't mind because you know, this is a website where you read for pleasure. Anyway, enjoy!)**

Winry squirmed on her seat, moving from side to side in irritation. Ed watched her with a boring expression then went back to looking outside the train window. Countless of grassy fields reflected in his golden eyes. He held his head with his right hand, using his palm to support his chin. His long hair was tied back into a ponytail but that didn't stop it from moving slightly because of the wind. When Ed got up this morning, he put on a nice clean shirt that hadn't been lying on the floor and a pair of black pants that he wore the day before. But before that, he had taken a quick bath, leaving him clean and looking refreshed. Overall, he looked, well, _good_.

And that was the reason for Winry's squirming. When all four of them (the trio including Major Armstrong) boarded the train an hour ago, she had hoped to sit all together. But Al had suggested to sit in pairs. Major Armstrong and Al glanced at each other for a quick second and they instantly went to sit together. That meant Ed and Winry would sit together. Now, that really isn't a problem. She's done that before. Yet seeing him practically shine underneath the sunlight made her heart gallop in her chest. But luckily, her face didn't show it.

"Honestly Ed, how can you even put up with sitting her for a long period of time?" she asked, finally settling down in the same position she had started with in the first place. He glanced her way and Winry noticed that the sunlight made Ed's eyes look translucent.

"It's talent really. But if you think about, you do the same thing too when you're fixing automail." he replied back. Ed looked out the window again and Winry frowned. She noticed he had constantly been doing that throughout the train ride. But what she didn't notice was the way Ed was looking at her. She was wearing a blue skirt and a white shirt that really brought out every curve that Winry had. She didn't have her hair in her usual ponytail. Instead, she had let it down over one shoulder. And Ed couldn't stop staring at her. He had to pry his eyes off her.

"It's different. I'm actually doing something. Right now, all I'm doing is sitting. I have nothing to occupy my time." she said. He nodded, still not looking her way. She scoffed at his response and looked over her shoulder to see the Major and Al laughing at something. When she looked back, she caught Ed looking at her. He averted her eyes and looked outside. _Okaaay, he was definitely looking at me right now_ she thought to herself.

"Oh, that reminds me." Ed said. He reached for inside his pocket and pulled something out. He held it out to Winry and Winry grabbed it. He had given her the earrings he had promised to give back to her. In reality, Winry had completely forgotten Ed had them. She was about to put them on before she noticed that one the cuffs had something on it. When she held it close to the sun, she saw that it had a simple wrench but it was surrounding by small flowers and leaves. She looked at Ed, who was (not surprisingly) avoiding her gaze.

"Hey, Ed. Did you engrave this on?" she asked. He stiffened and kept quiet, thinking about how to answer.

"Well, uh, before I lost my ability to do Alchemy, I sort of made a few changes on it because I thought it would look nice." he said, slightly blushing. Winry kept staring at it. She began to remember what he had said about her. How her hands were made to give life. It looked like that's what he was trying to imply. A wrench is her ability to give life and somehow because of that, it affected other ways of giving life. She smiled at him.

"Thanks, Ed. I love what you did." she put them on and Ed only grunted as a response.

"We're here." Al said, as he made his way over to their seats sitting down with them. The three looked out the window to see Central. The place where everything had unraveled their past journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LINE BREAK YO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once they grabbed their belongings, the trio and Major Armstrong got off the train. They saw Second Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant Denny Brosh already saluting the Major's return.

"Welcome back, Major Armstrong." they both said at the same time. The Major saluted back and stepped aside, where all three of them stood.

"Hey, Lt. Ross. Sergeant Brosh. It's been a while." Ed said first, giving them a wide smile. They both laughed in amazement.

"Wow, Ed! You've gotten taller." Sergeant Brosh said. Ed's smile quickly went away and was replaced with a frown.

"Is that really the first thing you notice? The major said the same thing." he muttered under his breath. They both ignored him and had turned their attention to Al and Winry. Ed rolled his eyes but he smiled. Major Armstrong tapped his shoulder.

"Should I inform General Mustang that you're here?" he asked. Ed looked over where Al and Winry were occupied by Lt. Ross and Sergeant Brosh.

"Yeah. I'll make up some excuse as to why you had to leave. The two of them already know, right? About…?" Major Armstrong nodded and left quietly. Ed walked back to the reunited group.

"Major Armstrong had to go take care of some personal business since he's been gone for a while. He said he'll be back soon though. Anyway, you guys gonna show us to our hotel?" he asked. Lt. Ross scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Always getting right to the point, huh Ed?" she said but began to walk out of the train station with all of them following her. As they walked through the streets of Central, they saw the rebuilding of old structures that had been destroyed during the Promised Day. People had started the beginning of their new lives again. Nothing was the same after the Promised Day but yet life had eventually returned to its normal routine. It wasn't long before they were walking up the street where the Hughes family lived. Ed stopped in front of the house and looked up at the sky, remembering something.

_Hughes gave a big smile at Ed and saluted him. "Tell my little rays of light I love them, okay Ed?" he said_.

"Hey, you guys? I'll catch up with you later. I have to do something important." Ed said to them. Winry and Al looked at the house and understood Ed.

"Tell them we said hi, okay Ed?" Winry said. Ed smiled and nodded. He watched them all go before he finally sucked in a huge breath and walked to their door. Ed felt like he couldn't breath. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how it would turn out meeting Mrs. Hughes again. But he drew in as much courage as he possibly could and knocked on the door. His palms began to sweat and he felt his stomach beginning to hurt in anticipation. The door opened and he saw Mrs. Hughes.

"H-hey, Mrs. Hughes. It's me. Edward. Umm, I'm just stopping by to say hi." he said awkwardly, rubbing his neck with his right hand. Mrs. Hughes gasped and noticed that he didn't have an automail arm.

"Ed! Y-your arm." she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. He looked at his hand and gave a sheepish smile.

"Oh! Yeah, I have my arm back. Alphonse has his body back too. He's here in Central. I'll come by with him later but I had to tell you something privately." he said. She nodded and opened the door wider, letting him come in.

"Little brother!" Elicia yelled, jumping into his arms. Ed grabbed her and couldn't help but correct her.

"Actually, I'm the big brother. Remember?" he said. He put her down and she looked up at him.

"Come inside, Little Brother!" she said. He sighed but smiled at her. He sat down next to her on the couch and Mrs. Hughes sat down on the other couch.

"Mrs. Hughes, do you believe...do you believe people in the afterlife sometimes might visit us? In anyway?" he began slowly, trying to figure out if that's a good way to start. Mrs. Hughes looked at the pictures of Maes on the drawer.

"I think it's possible for that to happen, if the will of the person in the afterlife is strong enough. Maes certainly believed in things like that. That's why he always tried to help people as much as he could. So they didn't have regrets and lived their life in a happiness." she replied back. Ed breathed a small sigh of relief. _Now is the hard part_ he thought.

"A few months ago, I had this...dream. I had a dream of my mother and my rotten father. They told me that they were proud of me. In that same dream, I saw a girl I knew and her dog. They looked... happy. And I also saw…" he stopped. Saying it out loud, it sounded ridiculous. But he had to say it. He had to make this right.

"You saw Maes, didn't you?" she said quietly. He nodded and he wasn't sure what she would do next. She smiled and she waited, urging him on.

"In the dream, he told me tell you something. His exact words were 'tell my little rays of light I love them.' I wanted to do this one thing for him after everything, everything he put on the line for just for me and my little brother." Ed finished. Mrs. Hughes stood up and walked over to the window with her hand across her mouth. Silent tears fell down her cheeks and Elicia noticed it.

"Mommy, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" she asked. Mrs. Hughes shook her head and hugged her daughter. She looked at Ed and she smiled.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me. Thank you." she whispered to him. Ed felt a lump beginning to form in his throat. He nodded and cleared his throat.

"I should be heading back. I'm sure Al and Winry are waiting for me." he said.

"Wait! Can we go see Alphonse and Winry? I'm sure Elicia would love to see her big sister." she said. Ed smiled at Elicia's excitement to see Winry again.

"Sure. Actually, tomorrow we're all going to get together at a certain place. I'm sure you can come then." he wrote down the address on a piece of paper and handed it to Mrs. Hughes. She read it and smiled.

"I didn't realize _that_ day has arrived already. We'll be there." she said. He nodded and left, already beginning to plan out the next day's huge event.

**(A/N: SO! How was that? I hope I didn't make it OOC or make it really bad. I tried to make it as realistic as possible. As we all know, it was Hughes' death that triggered everything. I feel he needed to be mentioned in someway throughout the story. *Yells into the sky* WE LOVE YOU MAES HUGHES! Anyway, can I get some reviews? Ironically, this is the only story I haven't gotten any reviews and it's my only on-going story. Or some follows is good too! So, please review?)**

**(A/N Part 2: About that Royai one-shot? I already published it. If any of you want to check it out, it's called A Misunderstood Situation. I'll most likely upload another one.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N: Sorry for taking a week to update. I want to personally thank all of you following this story, whether if you've been with me since the first few chapters or up till don't know how much you guys mean to me. You are all sweethearts! Anyhow, the moment you all, I think, have been waiting for. _That_ day has arrived. Enjoy!)**

Leaves of reds, oranges, and browns flew all across Central, traveling in packs and landing gracefully on the concrete ground. Night was beginning to arrive a lot quicker and colder. But on this particular day, it seemed a lot warmer than other days and it almost had a feel of spring. Or at least, that was how Al felt the day was. He woke up, the sky bursting with light and it was only seven in the morning. As soon as he had woken up, he was smiling, most likely from a dream he had enjoyed. It wasn't a dream, but more of a memory of when he was younger and he had spent the whole day with Ed, Winry, Granny, and his beautiful mother on a hill. His mother had packed a picnic basket filled with delicious snacks and drinks. Winry had brought a blanket to set underneath the tree on the hill. Ed and Al had brought their Alchemy books and spent most of the day reading. But there was those few moments Al spent watching his small family enjoying themselves. And it was what he loved to do the most..

"Al! Wake up! I have to go see Mustang today, so I won't be here until later, okay? I think Winry is awake so you guys can have breakfast without me! Bye!" Ed shouted from outside Al's hotel room. Al wasn't able to respond back because he heard Ed run down the hallway.

He was about to sigh before he caught himself. _Dummy, don't be depressed_ he thought to himself. But truthfully, he wanted to spend the day with Ed and Winry over at the Hughes' house. When Ed had returned from their house yesterday, he was a bit sad but he seemed relieved? Or maybe it was happiness. Either way, Al also had a bit of guilt. But the only reason he didn't have as much as Ed is because Ed chose to carry it all the time and carry it by himself. Going to see the Hughes might also relieve the guilt that pained Al.

Fighting his laziness, he got up and put on a clean pair of pants and a thin black hoodie over his white tank top. He combed his hair back using his fingers. Finally, he made his way out the room to Winry's room. He knocked on Winry's door where he heard a clamoring of sounds.

"C-coming! Hang on!" Winry yelled. She was clearly trying to hide something without AL noticing but she was doing a terrible job at it. Al chuckled and waited patiently outside. Winry swung the door open, breathing heavily.

"S-sorry! I was, um, changing. Anyways, breakfast?" she asked. He looked inside her room to see her bed filled with her automail tools she brought (she told them that even though she was going to be away from home, that didn't mean that work had stop), clothes lying all over the floor, and something blue lying on the chair. She quickly closed the door, avoiding AL's eyes.

"Let's go." she said, walking down the hallway. Al looked back at the Winry's door, wondering what it is he saw. He decided to forget about it, since it wasn't any of his business anyway. Al felt his mood get just a little bit gloomier. _Maybe it's a joke and they'll eventually remember_ he thought.

_LINE BREAK YO_

Al decided he was going to enjoy the Central air and told Winry he would most likely be back when Ed was returning. Winry sent him on his way and AL began his small little journey throughout the city. When he walked out of the hotel, he noticed the few military soldiers walking around as well. They didn't seem like they were on duty but they were protecting something. He could see that. Only few of them he recognized from the battle of the Promised Day. He greeted them and traded a few words with them. They all had something to say about him looking a lot better and stronger. One of them pointed out that he even had some muscles peeking through his jacket. Al had only laughed at this and just said that it must have been the hoodie. Seeing these soldiers made his day a bit better but he still was depressed at the fact that-

"Which hotel? What do you mean, I'm going the wrong way? I am not!" Al turned around to see a short black haired girl talking to someone in her hands. _No, it's not her, is it?_ he thought.

"Mei?" he said to the girl. She stiffened and didn't even look at him. Instead, she took off, running down the streets. Without thinking twice, Al took off after her. He found that he was quickly running out of breath. _Well, duh. I'm not made of armor anymore. And proud of that too._

"Wait, Mei! Is that really you?! Stop, please!" he yelled. But the girl didn't stop at all. He finally stopped to catch his breath and because of that, he lost her. It was definitely Mei. Her hair was in the same two braids but instead of wearing her pink jacket, it was a blue one. And she was most likely talking to her little panda, Xiao-Mei. It was the only possible explanation. _Ah, the things I've seen and it's not even lunch time_ he thought happily. Even if he had imagined it, it made his mood even better. But he didn't want it to be something he had formed from his imagination. He wanted it to be real. Sighing, he made his way back to the hotel, giving up on the day.

"Alphonse Elric! What a pleasant surprise! Taking a walk on this beautiful day?" Major Armstrong asked. Startled, Al looked over to see Major Armstrong standing beside him carrying a box. Al nodded at the Major and kept walking.

"Why, Alphonse, you don't look so happy. Is there something I can help you with?" he asked. Al shook his head and kept walking. He didn't like being this way and he knew he should stop but, what does everyone expect? After all it was-

"Would you like me to walk you back to your hotel? Or at least accompany you?" Major Armstrong tried again. Giving up, he gave the major a half smile.

"Sure, Major. I wouldn't mind your company." he replied.

"Where is your brother, Alphonse? I thought you would be spending the day with Winry and Edward. But instead, I found you out here." the major asked. Al didn't want to burden the major with his gloomy mood so he shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong. I just thought I'd take a walk to see some old faces and you know, remember some memories. I guess nostalgia took over me." he said. Major Armstrong nodded but he didn't look convinced at all.

"Don't worry, Alphonse. I'm sure your day will get better and by night, it will be spectacular." The major said, winking. Al was confused and before he could ask what he meant by that, Lt. Ross appeared.

"Major Armstrong, sir! General Mustang needs to see you." she said. When she looked at Al, her face lit up.

"Al! Was Major Armstrong telling you about the plans later on? It must be pretty exciting to hear your brother did so much for you." she said happily. Major Armstrong's palm connected to his forehead. Lt. Ross' eyes widened and she covered her mouth with both hands.

"W-wait. What do you mean?" Al asked.

"Uhh, nothing! We should be going right, Lt. Ross?" Major Armstrong asked the Lieutenant. But before she had anytime to answer, he took off and she followed right beside him. Al's heart began to swell a little bit with hope. He continued his way back to the hotel with a little skip in his step.

LINE BREAK NUMERO DOS YO

Al walked up the steps of the hotel to find Winry.

"Waiting for someone, Winry?" he teased. Winry blushed a little.

"Actually, I'm waiting for Ed. He called and said he was going to be here earlier than he thought so I'm waiting for him. But he's taking a while." she said, her cheeks still pink. He chuckled and was about to walk inside before she stopped him.

"Hey, Al. Want to go out to dinner?" she asked. He looked at her, wide eyed. _Wait a minute, hang on_.

"Just the two of us?" he asked, cautiously.

"Huh? Oh. No, no! Ed's coming too. I'll leave him a note at the place we'll be at." she said, encouragingly. He nodded, agreeing to their small dinner plans, and they both made their way back up to their rooms.

"But, Al. You have to dress nicely, okay? No hoodie's or ripped pants or anything like that." she said before heading to her room. _Dress nicely? Don't I always?_

Al walked inside his hotel room, taking off his hoodie and his shirt. When he found his suitcase, he went through his clothes and grabbed his white dress shirt and dress pants. He figured that Winry would take a while, so he decided to take a quick bath.

After filling the bathtub with hot water, he slowly lowered his body and was quickly used to the hot water. He gave a content sigh and waited a while before he began to scrub himself. Even after bathing so many times, it was still a fascinating feeling to have water all over him and the feel of soap on his fingers. Just taking a bath was an enjoyment. It reminded him that he was a human. These small things meant so much to him now. He realized he was in the bath a lot longer than he had meant to be in and he got out. The cold made him shiver, sending goosebumps all over his body. He dried off and changed into his clean and "nice" clothes.

"Al, I've been waiting for you for ten minutes already! Are you done?" Winry yelled from outside his room. He ran up to the door and opened it for Winry. She was wearing a light blue dress that hugged her curves and had a sweetheart neckline. The strap on her dress were glittering with silver sparkles. When she walked into the room, Al noticed her exposed leg because of the slit that ran from her mid-thigh to below. All of her hair was tied in a ponytail (except for her bangs) and small strands were beginning to fall out.

"Wow, Winry. You look beautiful." he said. Winry smiled and looked down at her attire.

"Thanks, Al. You look handsome as well. So, shall we get going?" she asked. He nodded and they walked out of the hotel. Al couldn't help but notice the handful of men who were stealing glances towards Winry's way. _Brother is not going to like this._

A car was already waiting for them out front and Al raised an eyebrow.

"This must be some real special place if we're going to be driven there." he said. She giggled and sighed.

"It's a special place alright. But it's mostly for the special occasion." she said. He smiled bashfully.

"So, you guys did remember?" he said. She tilted her head.

"Remember what?" she asked. His smile faltered. He shook his head, regretting he ever said anything.

"Never mind." he said quietly. They got in the car, watching the sun slowly fall beneath the hills behind Central. The car drove through the streets Al was walking in earlier through the day.

"Hey, Al? We're here." Winry said quietly. He looked out the window to see a bar lit up with so many lights and there were tons of people inside. He got out and helped Winry also out of the car. She thanked him and they both walked to the bar. But Al didn't want to go in anymore. He didn't want to be let down. He really just wanted to go back to the hotel and get the day over with. Winry pulled Al along and she was smiling brightly. He opened the door for her and-

"SURPRISE!" Everyone inside the bar yelled. Winry laughed at Al's stunned face. Ed walked out of the crowd, wearing the same outfit that that Al had on except his dress shirt was black.

"Happy birthday, Al!" he said, giving his brother a hug. Al, still too stunned to even think of hugging him back, looked at all the familiar faces in the bar. Major Armstrong, Lt. Ross, Sergeant Brosh, Mrs. Hughes, Elicia, Lt. Hawkeye, even General Mustang was there. So many people were here, all just for him. Ed let go of him but the smile he had on didn't leave his face.

"Brother," Al said slowly. "You did all this, for me?" Ed smacked his back and grinned proudly.

"Yup! I had to make this birthday pretty damn awesome, didn't I? I mean, it'll be your first birthday after getting your body back. We have to make sure you won't ever forget this night." he said. Al finally broke into a huge smile. He couldn't stop. The amount of happiness he was feeling at that moment was practically unexplainable.

"Oh, Alphonse!" a voice cried out. Mei cut her way through the crowd and jumped onto Al. He noticed that she had gotten a little bit taller.

"Mei! So it was you that I saw earlier!" Al said happily, embracing her in a hug.

"I'm sorry! I promised Ed I couldn't talk to you until we all got together for your birthday! But I'm so happy to see you again!" she said, hugging him. Al glared at Ed but Ed just smiled at him. Suddenly, it dawned on Al that Ed still hadn't noticed Winry. Al motioned his eyes towards Winry and Ed shook his head in confusion. When Al did it again, Ed looked over at Winry and his eyes widened.

"Hey, Alphonse. I think you might want to join us while we leave your brother gawking at Winry." Mustang said. Al laughed and set Mei down, but not letting her hand go. He walked over to the crowd of people who came to celebrate his birthday. Throughout the night, Al found his gloomy mood slowly disappearing. Stories were traded all through the bar. Laughter kept everyone up and no one wanted to leave yet. Music echoed though the bar and a few people were brave enough to share a dance with each other. Ed walked over to Al at one point of the night when he was in the corner of the bar, looking at the cheerful festive. He was holding two glasses of champagne.

"Hey, Al. What are you doing here all alone? Aren't you supposed to be enjoying your night?" Ed asked. He set one of the glasses next to Al. Al looked at it in suspicion. Ed placed his glass close to him but he didn't take drink it. Al decided to wait to drink his until Ed took a sip of his.

"I am enjoying myself, Brother. I was just...taking it all in." he said. Ed nodded and looked at the crowd as well. Actually, he was looking at a specific person in the crowd. Al followed his eyes and he smirked when he found himself looking at Winry.

"You sure looked surprised when you saw Winry." Al said. Ed nodded and looked back at Al. He grabbed his glass of champagne and motioned Al to grab his.

"It's my first time trying it, okay? And I figured now would be a good time than ever to try it with you. Consider it a special birthday present. Just don't tell Granny or she'll kill me." Ed said. Al smiled and nodded. He took a small sip. The drink tingled in his mouth and small bubbles tickled his tongue. He swallowed it and it gave a pleasurable aftertaste. He looked at Ed who was smacking his lips.

"It's not bad. I like it." Ed said afterwards. Al nodded in agreement. He looked behind Ed to see WInry looking at Ed's back. She looked away and went back to talking with Lt. Hawkeye.

"Hey brother? Why don't you ask Winry for a dance?" Al suggested. Ed began to choke on his champagne that he had decided to take another sip of. When he finally was able to breath again, he stole a glance toward Winry.

"Mmmm….Ugh, fine! I'll do it." he decided. He stood up and clumsily made his way to Winry. Al saw Ed fidgeting as he asked Winry to dance. Her face became pink but she nodded, smiling. Together, they walked to the open space and awkwardly began to slow dance. Al chuckled to himself. Maybe he didn't have the family he was originally born into but over the years, he was able to become a part of a new one. And that was all he ever really wanted. It was the best gift anyone could ever give to him.

"Happy Birthday, to my little brother we all love, Alphonse!" Ed yelled, holding another glass of champagne and raising it to Alphonse. Everyone turned to Al and yelled.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AL!"

**(A/N: SO! How was that? Yes, I made the very important day Al's birthday. But if you think that was a bad idea or you were expecting something action-y or huge, then you truly don't realize how important Al is. And how much love and happiness he deserves. I think everyone does lo****ve and happiness but I wanted to dedicate a chapter about him. Honestly, I don't know when his birthday is and i'm not going to check. If any of you know, I wouldn't mind being informed. Anyhow, I really hoped you guys liked it. Reviews?)**


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: Yo! Sorry, I took a while to update. I did't have internet for a couple days. So! I'm glad my plan for making Al take the spotlight didn't fail. But, it's time I get to the juicy parts. You know. The thing that EVERYBODY wants. Quote from summary: "EdWin in future chapters." Yeaaahhhhhhhh. Anyhow, enjoy!)**

Ed got up from his warm bath and grabbed the closest towel he could find. His long and wet golden hair stuck to his back. He dried his body first, then dried his hair. It was an effortless task but it took time to do so because his hair had gotten longer. When it was wet, it reached up to his mid-back. He knew he needed a haircut, but to get one required asking Winry and Winry liked it when Ed had his hair long.

When he was done drying his hair, he tied the towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom toward his room to change. Winry appeared out of nowhere, carrying tools in a large box, and she was obviously having trouble carrying it.

"Need any help with that, Winry?" Ed asked her. She shook her head and hadn't noticed that Ed was standing there in a towel.

"No, I'm fine." she said in a strained voice. Sighing, he took the box with one hand and hauled it over his right shoulder while keeping the other hand on his towel. Winry breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked down, she saw a towel that was currently covering Ed up.

"Ed! What the heck are you doing?" she yelled. He looked at the towel and back at Winry. Winry's face was pink and she furrowed her eyebrows together in anger, trying not to show her embarrassment. Seeing as to where the situation had gone, he had no choice but to help her. If he gave her back the box, that would make him look like, well, an ass.

"Look, I'm not exactly happy parading around with only a towel on, but it looked like you needed help, okay? So, hurry up and lead the way. My hair is still kinda wet and it's dripping onto my back now." She rolled her eyes and went through the hallway to the automail shop both her and her grandmother shared. She lead Ed to a desk with other automail parts. Carefully, he placed the box onto the desk without slipping the towel off.

"Thank you for helping me. Now, hurry and put on some damn clothes." she said, turning away from him. Alphonse, hearing what Winry said, stuck his head to see what Ed and Winry were doing. When he saw his brother, he smirked.

"Brother! That is not the proper way to seduce a lady!" Al said to his brother. Ed's turned to glare at his brother, but his brother only tried his hardest to not laugh.

"Shut up, Al!" he spat, turning red. Ed walked quickly out the door, murmuring some things about Al. Al shook his head and looked at Winry. She was focused on the tools inside her box. Actually, she was a little too focused.

"Hey, Winry? You okay?" he asked, walking up to her. When he saw her face, it was super red.

"Winry, you're not embarrassed, are you? I mean, you fix my brother's leg and you have him strip down to his underwear." Saying those words only made Winry turn even redder. Weird, Winry usually isn't fazed by this kinds of things he thought.

"You really love my brother, don't you?" he murmured quietly to her. Winry looked at Al with wide eyes.

"Pshh, no. Ha, ha, what are you saying? Ha, ha!" she said, trying to hide her real feelings. Al gave her a small smile.

"Winry, you're horrible at acting, you know that?" he said. She gave up, and sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Actually, I figured out that the kind of love that I felt for him was different from anybody else a long time ago. But I don't want to tell him. He's the first person I want to give my heart to. But I don't want our love to be some sappy, cheesy romance out of a horrible novel. It's more like, I want to protect his happiness no matter what. But since this is Ed we're talking about, he'll think I'm in love with him because I haven't really experienced love and I just randomly chose him." Al looked at Winry, surprised to hear her real feelings. Suddenly, Al didn't see Winry as that little girl whom he grew up with. No, this was a whole new different person who was looking to the future and beyond, but in order to achieve such lengths, looks at the present in a different way.

"You and Ed really are alike. But at the same time, you have your own individual strengths." Al told her, trying to make sure he didn't say anything that might offend her. She nodded and quietly laughed.

"Ah, love. It really gets you self-conscious, huh?" Winry offered, trying to loosen the mood they had created. Al just shrugged his shoulders, but he was actually thinking about someone far away in Xing.

~LINE BREAK YO~

"Hello!? Anybody here?!" someone yelled from outside. Winry opened her eyes and saw she had fallen asleep on her desk, trying to organize the automail tools in the box. She sat up, groaning at the pain her neck was giving her. It was most likely a crick. She stretched her neck while she walked outside. The late afternoon sun shone onto the porch. She carefully made her way down to greet the man outside. She stopped dead in her tracks. Make that a very handsome man. His black hair slightly covered his hazel eyes. He was tall, probably as tall as Ed. His expression had a determined look to it but when he smiled at Winry, there was a softness to it. Needless to say, he was very handsome. But she noticed that a part of his left arm was gone.

"Oh! Um, yes? Did you need help with something?" she asked. Just because he didn't have a part of his left arm didn't mean that he necessarily wanted automail. It was better to ask then to assume.

"Yes, actually. I heard from a person in Rush Valley that a Winry Rockbell would be able to help me in creating some automail for my arm. Are you Winry?" he asked. Even his voice was soothing. She nodded and he gave her a big smile.

"Whew! I finally made it here! I got lost a couple of times and it took me a couple extra days to arrive here than I had hoped for. I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Connor." he said, extending his right arm out. She walked closer to him and took his arm.

"It's nice to meet you." she said, happily.

"I have to ask, do I need an appointment to get automail? I just dropped by unannounced and I feel a bit bad I did that. If I need an appointment, I don't mind making one and just leaving until the day of my appointment." he said to her.

"No! No, it's fine. You came all this way and I don't feel right just making you leave like that. Tell you what: How about you come back tomorrow so we can start on your automail?" she said. He beamed at her and nodded.

"Thank you so much, Winry. You don't know how much that means to me. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he said. He quickly gave her the phone number at the hotel he's staying at and left. She felt someone standing behind her.

"I know, Granny. It isn't right to let all my other customer's down like that. But you saw what I saw, right?" Winry said to her grandmother standing on the porch. She was holding the white hoodie Ed gave to her. Winry didn't even notice the cold air around her until she shivered. Pinako handed her the hoodie and Winry quickly put it on. She took a puff of her pipe and exhaled before she spoke.

"Yes, I saw. But you do realize that some people won't be happy about this. That man was about your age. Maybe a little bit older. And it looked like he was smiling a little bit too much at you. Someone might get a bit angry at the young man's kindness." Using her pipe, she pointed at the hoodie Winry was wearing. Ed? she thought to herself.

"What? Ed? C'mon, Granny. He knows that it's just work." she said, laughing. Her grandmother just inhaled another puff and exhaled, looking at her with a serious expression.

"Jealousy can make a person blind, Winry. Have patience with him these next few days. He may be old with knowledge, but he's still a teenage boy with a very determined mind to protect what he cares for the most." she said, making her way back into the house. Winry turned around to see Connor making his way down the road, with only one hand in his pocket.

"Ed won't be jealous. He knows it's work." Winry whispered to herself, trying to convince herself. Everything that was happening lately: the long glances, the slight intentional brushes, that stupid heart-racing moment where she thought she was going to be kissed, the hoodie, and the dance at Al's party, made Winry believe that Ed loved her as a woman. But she didn't want to believe in something that might not be true. If he was going to get jealous, it can't be because he's in love with her. Right?

LINE BREAK NUMERO DOS YO

Connor came by the next day, right after Winry had finished making the last call to the few people she had canceled on. She immediately began to work on his arm, taking measurements and figuring out what type of metal would be best for him. As she worked on him, she began to learn a little bit about his life. He lost his arm in a car accident. The bone that went from his elbow to his hand was completely broken into many, many different places. There was absolutely no way it would ever heal. If it did, he had no chance of using that arm again. So, the doctor's decided just to cut it off. It ruined his career as a piano player at a bar. It was a small bar, but everyone came in for his music. He had thought about getting automail, but only feeling the piano with one hand while he played only felt like he wasn't putting all of his effort into playing.

During the middle of their conversation, Ed walked into the shop.

"Winry, you have any oil? My leg feels kinda stiff." he looked at the man Winry was currently working with. Ed narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, I do. I think it's in the box." she said, pointing at the box on the floor. Suddenly, Connor stood up.

"Hang on. I know you. You're the Fullmetal Alchemist!" he said, smiling. Ed, upon hearing his old state military name, gave a very proud smile.

"Finally, someone recognized me!" Ed said. They shook hands, smiling like idiots. Connor looked at both of Ed's arms and frowned.

"I thought one of your arms was made of automail." he asked, confused. Winry saw a glimmer of sadness pass through Ed's eyes. He gave a half-smile while he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah. But, not anymore. I still have my automail leg, though." he said, lifting up his pants and knocking on his metal leg. Connor nodded as if he understood and sat back down.

"I gotta get back to work, Ed. Don't slam the door on your way out, okay? You have a habit of doing that." Winry said. Ed just made a face at her, taking the oil pump with him.

"Hey Winry, has anyone ever told you that you look really pretty?" Connor suddenly asked. Ed whipped his head around, his eyes narrowed and a frown on his face. Winry didn't look convinced.

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Connor. No need to compliment a lady just to get a discount. That's what a ladies man does." she said, finishing recording the measurements she took on his arm.

"No, I'm serious. I'm surprised you don't have a boyfriend yet." he said. Ed rolled his eyes angrily, walked out the room, and slammed the door.

"Dammit, Ed! I told you not to slam the door!" she yelled. Connor tilted his head, smiling at her. She smiled back but only because he was a customer.

The next few days, Ed saw more and more from Connor. He kept flirting with Winry (although she was oblivious about that) whenever he was around. It annoyed him and he felt his temper rise a little more. He was obviously doing it on purpose but it still bothered Ed. Ed walked around the house, murmuring to himself about "that stupid Connor." Al was beginning to grow tired of his useless murmuring.

"Okay, Brother. What's wrong now?" Al asked, annoyed. Ed heaved a sigh and sat down on the sofa.

"It's that guy. He loves to flirt with Winry in front of me. He's so stupid." Ed said. Al looked at his brother with disbelief. Here was the guy who had kicked people's butts, solved Dr. Marco's notes, traveled so much and met so many people, yet he was bothered about one guy. ONE.

"Listen, Brother. It's just Winry's work. Besides, she doesn't flirt back. She hasn't even noticed that Connor's flirting with her." Al said, trying to reassure his brother.

"I don't care. He's super annoying and I want to punch him." Ed said. Al rolled his eyes.

Once Connor left, Ed decided to confront Winry about this.

"Winry, what's taking you so long in finishing his automail?" he asked, annoyed. She gave him a look.

"It's the first time he's getting automail, Ed. I had to tell him about how much it'll hurt when we connect his nerves to the automail, and he got kind of nervous. So, the past few days, I've been trying to ease him into that stage. I'll do that tomorrow. Then, he'll have a couple days to get used to the automail and he'll be on his way." she said.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air to make a point. Suddenly, Winry got angry.

"What's your problem, Ed? All you've been doing the whole entire time Connor's been here is complaining about him. He's not a bad guy." she yelled. He glared at her.

"You're my problem, Winry. You're so dense and you don't even notice that he's flirting with you!" he yelled.

"Fliriting!? I'm doing his automail, Ed. I'm only making conversation." she argued back.

"Yeah?! Making googly eyes at him isn't having a conversation. It's fawning over him!" he yelled.

"I am not fawining over him!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Dammit, Ed! Why are you so angry?" she yelled.

"Because I'm jealous, damn it! I'm the one who thinks your pretty, not him! But you don't ever notice that! You're sometimes all I ever think about and you don't see that!" he yelled loudly. Suddenly, it got quiet. Ed stared at her, wide eyed, at what he had just confessed. Winry's heart was galloping inside her chest. Does he really mean that? Does that mean that he actually-

"Go to sleep! It's eleven o'clock at night and I'm tired! Stop yelling like maniacs!" Al yelled from his room. Winry and Ed just stared at each other, unsure of what to do or say next.

**(A/N: Yes, I did really just leave it like that. I really freaking love how I ended it. It's just so...suspenseful! By _it_, I mean the chapter. Not the story. Reviews?)**


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N: Yo! I know, it's been a while. I know. I'm evil leaving it like that. **

**To Namindu, I usually take about a week to update each time. That's the longest I'll ever go. Guaranteed. Thanks for your reviews!**

**To BluezebraAFHS, your reviews meant a lot to me. Sorry I'm taking so long to just barley thank you.**

**To Yelrac, O.O the pressure. No, I'm kidding. I hope to meet your expectations!**

**To anyone else following or even reviewing, you are sweethearts just for taking the chance to read this. ARIGATOU!**

**SO! I hope you guys like this chapter.)**

Winry and Ed awkwardly tried to get in a better position. Ed moved slightly back and Winry tried her hardest not to make anymore noise so they wouldn't get caught. Ed was beginning to sweat and he wiped his forehead. Winry was breathing a bit heavily and even she was feeling humid.

"How'd did it get to this?" Ed asked, eventually moving closer to Winry in the end. Winry yelped at the pain Ed had just caused her.

"Ed, stop moving. You're hurting me." she whispered quietly. He cleared his throat and tried his best not to move. She breathed a sigh of relief and she shifted into a better position.

"Anyway, to answer your question, Al wanted us to play hide and seek, remember? I forgot ever since we were little kids we always end up in the same hiding spot. I'm sure it's a curse." Winry said. Ed nodded and tried his best to avoid her eyes. After all, she still hadn't replied to what he said yesterday. _How'd it go from a love confession to getting stuck in a closet?_ Ed asked himself.

~ A couple of hours earlier~

"Good morning!" Al yelled cheerfully as he entered the kitchen. He saw Winry and Ed already awake and avoiding each other. Neither of them looked at one another or bothered to acknowledge each other. Al felt his mood slowly slip away. He frowned and tried again.

"Good morning!" he said once again. Ed looked up and gave his brother a small wave. Winry tried her best to not look troubled.

"Mornin' Al. Did you sleep well?" she asked. Al shrugged and pointed at the small scratches Nikko had left on his neck. Winry rolled her eyes and gave a _what are you gonna do, he's a cat_ look to him. Ed sat down at the kitchen table, drinking coffee that he prepared himself. Al could tell he was trying his very hardest to not spit it out. Winry was the one who usually made coffee for both her and Ed. But since yesterday just made everything weird, there was no chance Winry was preparing a cup of coffee for the poor guy. Al heard Den beginning to bark at someone outside.

"I think Connor's here." he said out loud. Both Ed and Winry stiffened. Al almost wanted to run out of the room because it was suffocating to be next to them while they were together in the same room.

"Hey brother! Let's go outside!" Al grabbed his brother's wrist and he dragged him outside, despite his protests.

"Morning, Al. Hey, Ed." Connor greeted them. Ed glared at Connor while Al made a quick conversation with him.

"Good Morning, Connor! Are you nervous about getting your automail today?" Al asked. Connor gave a small worried smile.

"Eh, kinda. Winry's been telling me it's going to hurt so I'm a bit afraid about that. It was bad enough to go through the pain of losing my arm. But now I have to go through pain again just to get it back...sorta." Connor replied.

"Equivalent exchange." Ed and Al said at the same chuckled under his breath.

"Alchemists. Always have to be thinking about alchemy, right guys?" Ed shrugged and Al nodded.

"So, I guess I'd better head inside." Connor walked past both of them. Ed watched him go inside. Regardless of the guy always flirting with Winry, he couldn't help but wish him luck. It was going to hurt and he needed all the luck he could get. Ed walked over to the tree beside the house. He plopped down, leaning against the tree. Right now, all he could think about was what he had said to Winry. He wasn't sure if that was the best way to tell her how he felt. Actually, it wasn't a good way, period. Honestly, he didn't expect it to be romantic when he was planning to tell her but during an argument? That was a huge no-no in his book. Sure, he's always a jerk to her but when it came to his feelings he wanted to be as true as possible. He buried his head in his hands and groaned.

"Brother, look what I found." Al walked up to Ed and sat beside him. He held a ring up towards Ed. Ed looked at it. It was a wedding ring.

"Why is there a wedding ring here?" Ed asked aloud. Al shrugged. Then his eyes widened.

"What if it's Connor's?" he asked. Ed raised an eyebrow at him.

"Connor's? Really? That guy couldn't stop flirting with Winry. You think a married man would flirt with a girl?" Ed stopped and thought about the General for a quick moment. _He would do something like that._

"Think about it, brother. Which hand does Connor want back?" Ed tried to remember which hand it was that Connor was missing. It was the left.

"S-so? That doesn't prove anything." But Al could tell that Ed was seriously considering that possibility.

"Stop being close-minded. You know that might be the reason he wants his hand back. And this wedding ring doesn't belong to anybody around here because nobody we know has visited recently except Connor." Al further explained. Ed sighed. He wasn't fully convinced but there was a chance that what Al said was right.

"I'm an ass, aren't I Al?" Ed asked, giving him a hopeless smile. He laid down, closing his eyes. The breeze was chilly and it was most likely going to get colder as the days went by. Al handed the ring to Ed.

"You give it to him, brother. It'll mean a lot to Winry if you do that." Ed didn't even look surprised that Al knew. After all, he was the one who had to come down to get Ed when neither of them moved a muscle the night before. Ed sighed and grabbed the ring from Al.

"Fine. But it's not like she's going to fall in love with me just because I do this." Ed said to him. This time, Al sighed.

"Both of you stress me out. You guys aren't blind toward your own feelings but you are toward each other's." Al said. Suddenly, they heard a scream coming from inside the house. Ed slowly opened his eyes. Al looked a bit frightened. He remembered the first time Ed got automail he didn't so much as let a scream. He had been so young. And now, a grown man was getting automail and the scream he gave out sounded like he was facing death itself. _How much did you go through for me, brother?_ Al thought to himself. Ed looked at his little brother. He knew what he was thinking. Another cry came from inside the house.

"C'mon, Al. Let's go visit mom and our stupid father."Ed stood up and held out his right hand for Al to grab onto. Al nodded and took his hand.

LINE BREAK YOOOOO

When Ed and Al got back, they found Winry sitting on the steps to the house. She had her hands in her pockets from her apron. They quietly approached her.

"Hey, Winry. How's Connor?" Al asked. Winry looked at both of them and sighed.

"He's resting right now. Granny's cleaning up right now." she said. Al nodded and walked over to Winry to sit beside her. Ed just stuffed his hands in his pockets. Al found the unbearable atmosphere once again. He felt himself get frustrated. Suddenly, he thought of an idea.

"Let's play hide and seek." he suggested. Both Winry and Ed gave him a look.

"Hide and Seek, Al? Don't you think we're a little too old to be playing that?" Winry said gently.

"Just one game. Besides, we haven't' played since we were so young. One game isn't going to take away our adult pride." Al pleaded. It was a rare occurrence when Al wanted something. So Ed just shrugged and Winry sighed in defeat.

"Fine." she said at last. Al smiled and placed his hands over eyes.

"1...2...3...4…" Al began to count. Ed quietly tip-toed to the side of the house and Winry crept inside. When Al knew they weren't around, he stopped counting.

"I guess they forgot that when we played Hide and Seek, they always hid in the same spot together. Oh, well." he said innocently to himself.

~Present~

They both knelled in the closet filled Al's and Ed's alchemy books. Ed crossed his arms over his knees and Winry was using her arms to support herself. Neither of them looked at each other. Finally, Ed couldn't take it any longer.

"Ed, did you mean what you said yesterday?" Winry asked. Ed was left with the syllable stuck in his throat and his mouth slightly open. He swallowed and closed his mouth. He looked at his hands. When he got the courage to look up, Winry's face was suddenly closer than before.

"Will it change?" he asked. She tilted her head in confusion.

"My answer. Will it change our friendship?" he asked. She looked surprised.

"What? Are you trying to tell me what you said yesterday was a joke?" she scoffed. Ed tried his best to not get angry.

"Answer the question, Winry." he whispered.

"Answer mine first, dammit." she said through clenched teeth.

"Yes!" he whispered back loudly. Winry felt her heart practically bruise her ribs.

"Winry, I don't have the words to tell you how I feel. We grew up together and I watched you grow from this automail freak to a beautiful woman." He carefully grabbed the strand of hair that had fallen out of her messy ponytail. Her breath caught in her throat. Ed seemed so confident. Winry's face must have looked like a cherry.

"Winry…" Ed whispered. Winry looked down at his lips, which we're getting closer to hers.

"Yes?" she said. Or she thought she said.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked. She didn't even have time to answer before he gently placed his lips onto hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him in even closer. He answered by placing his hands on her waist. The kiss lasted for a few seconds longer before Winry pulled away but she rested her forehead on his.

"Alchemy geek."

"Automail freak."

They both smiled and kiss for a little while longer. It would have been longer, that is, if Al hadn't opened the door.

"Oh, sorry." Al closed the door but they could heard him laughing really loudly outside.

**(A/N: SO! How'd you guys like that? Did it need more? Was it bad? Review! For sure, expect a WHOLE lot more EdWin.)**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here! I'm sorry that last chapter had so many spelling mistakes and some sentences didn't even make sense. To make it up to you, I updated a lot sooner.**

**Namindu, I really adore your short reviews. The recent one made my heart pound because you are asking me to keep on writing and that makes me happy.**

**Yvelta45, Can you imagine me as I wrote it? I couldn't stop squealing.**

**AnimeRideorDieFreak, Al is seriously the best thing since sliced bread and everyone knows he's shipped EdWin since the beginning. **

**BluezebraAFHS, I can't stop smiling. Your reviews have really encouraged me a lot and I'm happy you enjoy my writing. **

**To all my followers, I wouldn't even have made it this far without you. Thanks a bunch. Enjoy!)**

Before Winry even opened her eyes, her mouth began to water and her stomach was growling at the smell of bacon and eggs being made downstairs. She slowly opened her eyes to see the bright sun nestling on top of her white blankets. The day was obviously going to be a warm one, something they haven't had in a while with all the dark clouds that had passed over for so long. Winry sat up and looked around her room. She saw her mountains of clothes lying on the floor. It had been a while since she had last done laundry. Once Connor was used to using his automail, Ed sent him off at the train station. He said he had something to give to Connor so he wanted to take him the train station alone. Afterwards, Granny didn't even so much as let Winry take a break because of all the appointments she had to take care of. For five consecutive days, Winry worked on automail, slept, barely even ate, and worked on some more automail. , The night before, she had worked on her final appointment she had to make up. But it was worth it. She was sure Connor was wearing the wedding ring now. Obviously, that was the only reason she had worked on him without him booking an appointment with her. The day she met him, he was wearing a wedding ring as a necklace. And he was missing his left hand. It was easy to see why he wanted automail.

"Winry! Breakfast is ready!" Al yelled from downstairs. She smiled and got up from her bed.

"Coming!" she yelled back. Winry grabbed a pair of shorts and her black tank top. She really needed to do laundry. She threw her huge t-shirt onto her bed and changed. Quickly, she made her way downstairs. She found Al, who was wearing a pink apron, cooking breakfast. Suddenly, Ed appeared with a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Hey, Al. Is this enough?" Ed asked, holding up the pitcher. Al looked at it and nodded. Ed set it down on the table and looked up to see Winry. They both stared at each other. Ed and Winry hadn't really talked about what happened on the night of Hide and Seek. Winry was had been too busy to talk to anyone. But now that she wasn't, the inevitable had to come sooner or later. Ed gave her a small smile to which Winry responded with a big smile.

"Morning, Winry." Ed whispered. Winry bit her lip and tried not to smile like an idiot. But she couldn't help it.

"Morning, Ed." she said. They held each other's gazes until Al interrupted them.

"And good morning to you, Al! Why, thank you, Al!" he said to himself. Winry broke her gaze away from Ed and looked at Al.

"Sorry, Al. Good morning." she said to him. He beamed at her and handed her a plate so she could serve herself breakfast. The eggs were a light fluffy yellow, almost like little clouds. She took a bite of her bacon, crispy and cooked to perfection. Al really knew how to whip up breakfast.

"This taste really good, Al!" she said to him. Al proudly sat up a little straighter.

"It's a talent, really." he said. Ed nudged him jokingly. Granny eventually came out of her room, also caught by the delicious smell waffing in the air.

"Good morning!" she said as she walked into the kitchen. They all waved since they were too busy chewing. Granny set her plate in front of Al's and sat down. She also began to eat, and a comfortable silence filled the air. Ed, sitting across from Winry, kept stealing glances at her. She hadn't said anything about _that_ night. And he wasn't sure what they were at the moment. Are they friends? Well, obviously yes. But are they now more than friends? Are they best friends? Are they boyfriend and girl-

Ed began to choke on his soft egg and Al tried to help him by offering him some orange juice. But that didn't help because he just began to choke on that too. Al smacked him on the back and the orange juice went flying across the table and onto Winry's shirt. She gasped and looked down at the trail of orange juice on her chest.

"You idiot! Why don't you learn how to chew your food!?" she yelled, grabbing a napkin. Ed held up his finger at her, telling her to wait, before he was able to breath again. Once he had air in his lungs again, he glared at Winry.

"Sor-ry! I was only choking! Jeez, aren't you even going to ask me if I'm okay?" he yelled back. This time, Winry glared at him.

"Uh, no! I have orange juice on my shirt, Ed. I think that's more important at the moment!" she argued. Al just sighed.

"What a wonderful couple." he said out loud. Ed and Winry froze, looking at each other. Pinako didn't even as so much miss a beat when she heard those words. Instead, she inhaled her pipe before she spoke.

" I think it might rain soon again. Today seems like a good day to do laundry, don't you think?" Before any of them replied, she got down from her chair and walked back to the automail room. The three of them were silent as they cleaned up the table. Al, because he was trying to not laugh, and Ed and Winry, because they were thinking about the kiss they had shared.

LINE BREAK YO

Winry carried the basket of clean clothes back inside the house. Or at least tried. The lines that held up the clothes were right next to the house but the amount of clothes she had to carry...No, it was just too much. She couldn't even lift it.

_Like I'm going to let clothes stop me. I'm a strong independant woman. _

She grabbed both ends of the huge basket and used all her strength to lift the basket. It didn't so much as budge.

"Dammit." she whispered under her breath. The sad part was that most of it was her clothes. _Why didn't I wash earlier?_

Sighing, she sat down next to the basket and looked at her Resembool. The fields were beginning to turn a light brown color. The trees growing in some areas had leaves of different shades of reds, yellows, and oranges. A quiet wind blew and dozens of leaves fell to the ground. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains, giving them a fiery look. It was calming just to see the view. It was quiet and relaxing. She felt something nudge her leg. She looked down to see Den sprawled out next to her. She rubbed the dog's paw.

"Hey, Den. Who let you out?" she asked him.

"I did." She turned around to see Ed. She turned away, still angry at him for the morning's chaotic catastrophe.

"Ah, Winry. You're not still mad, are you?" he asked, sitting down on the other side of the basket. She just shrugged her shoulders but Ed could easily tell she was still mad. _Is now really a good time to ask? _he thought. He gave a small shaky sigh. The things he had encountered in his life and Winry seemed like the hardest obstacle to overcome. But he was willing to give his life to win all of her heart. _Oh man. Al would tease me until I die if he knew how cheesy I'm getting. _

"Hey, Winry. I gotta ask you something." he started off carefully. Winry looked at him with her soft blue eyes. In comparison to the dark red sky, her eyes gave him comfort. They were determined and confident. Suddenly, he felt like he could do anything in the whole world just by staring into her eyes.

"Winry, I-"

"Oh! That reminds me! Since you're here, can you help me take the laundry basket back to my room?" she interrupted. He stared at her with his mouth still open from his cut off sentence. Sighing, he nodded and grabbed on end of the basket while she held the other. Carefully, they walked back inside the house to Winry's room. Carefully, they stepped into Winry's room. Carefully, they tried to set the basket on Winry's bed but Ed had tripped over an automail wrench lying around and the clothes landed all over the room. Ed fell onto the ground with Winry tumbling on top of him. He groaned as the back of his head began to hurt.

"Oww…" he said. He raised his head to see Winry's face really close to his. Ed stopped breathing. _Well, it's now or never._

"I don't regret it." Winry said to him. He raised his eyebrows at her and she shook her head.

"Okay, that was a horrible way to say it. But I really don't regret. I don't know how long I began to get these feelings-wait, I do know how long- but I've stopped seeing you as just a childhood friend, Ed. During those times when you didn't tell me anything hurt the most. But I don't want to wait until you come back home. I want to be there by your side. I want to help you become stronger. Because I care so much about you, you dork." she said in a rushed voice. He stared at her. He set his head back down on the floor and place his hands over his mouth. Winry felt him shaking and for a quick second, she thought he was crying until she saw that he was smiling.

"A-are you laughing, Ed!?" she yelled. He shook his head but he couldn't' stop laughing. She was about to get up before he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Winry, you're amazing. Do you know that?" he asked, still laughing. She blushed and tried to look angry. But it was hard with Ed holding her.

"Shut up. I thought you were making fun of me." she said to him, looking away. He sighed happily and brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. Slowly, he raised his head closer to hers. She intentionally pulling her head back. He placed his hand behind her neck to stop her from moving. Their lips touched again and this time, Winry didn't move away. She pulled Ed's hair out of his usual ponytail. When his golden hair fell to the floor, she ran her fingers through the small rays. He shivered and pressed his lips even closer to hers. Winry let her mouth open slightly and Ed took that small chance. Until-

"C'mon you guys! Not on top of the clean clothes!" Al yelled.

"Dammit, Al! That's the second time!" Ed rolled away from underneath Winry to run after his little brother.

"Brother, it's not my fault! You left the door open! Wait!" Ed caught up to him and began to ruffle his hair, locking Al's head in his arm.

"That's such a lie, Al." Winry said to herself, laughing.

**(A/N: SO! How was that? Yes, dudes and dudettes. Ed and Winry are officially together now. I think I make Ed a bit too cheesy but I tried not to. But Al. He knows how to wrap up a chapter. Don't worry, not all of them are going to end with Al doing that. He's a main character too, you know. He needs a chapter of his own again. Anyway, can I get some reviews?)**

**(A/N2: I wrote another Royai story. It's called For Every Scar, I'll leave A Kiss. It's not like the other Royai though. It is a bit sad but it's also a bit...steamy. But it's not a lemon though.)**


	12. Chapter 12

**(Author's Personal Note: If you want, you can skip this and just go the regular a/n for the story...Still here? Okay so, I watched The Amazing Spiderman 2. today. I knew what was going to happen but no. I can't handle my feels. My heart hurts. If you haven't watched it and you liked the first one, go watch it! T.T)**

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here! It's EdWin Day on Tumblr and I submitted my other story to contribute. It's called Two Sides of a Person. If you haven't read it, go read it! I realize I took a lot longer to update. Because of that, this chapter is about twice as long with two stories rolled up in one. After the first "line break yo", its a continuation of the first part but it doesn't really have anything to do with it. Just read it. It'll make sense. Oh! And in the second part, if you don't want to read the italic story, you don't have to. I own that, BTW. **

**To BluezebraAFHS, the first part of the chapter is for you. No Al to interrupt. Thanks for reviewing! It means a lot to me!**

**To AnimeRideOrDieFreak, Awww, thank you for that! It encourages me to keep on writing!**

**To Namidu, Royai? Let's see. If you want, I can make it like a bonus chapter. Unless you want to see Ed and Winry have a double date with Roy and Riza, then that might be a bit difficult. And yes, Nikko will be included a lot more. Your reviews are, as always, short and super epic. Thank you.**

**To all my followers, you are all sweethearts and you guys all mean a lot! Thank you!)**

"Please."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"_Pllleassseeee_." Winry begged. Al looked at both Ed and Winry, who were once again, having an argument.

"I like it this length." Ed said. Winry scoffed.

"Ed, it's about the same length as mine. I'm pretty sure that means it's time for a haircut." Winry argued. With the cold setting on Resembool, Ed had let his hair down for the day in order to "keep warm." And as soon as Winry saw him, she flipped. His hair was way too long now and she wanted to cut his hair. But Ed wasn't going to even let her trim it.

"No, I think it's fine like this." Ed said again. Winry sighed and looked at Al who was watching it all happen. He was stroking Nikko's golden fur, watching with pure enjoyment on his face...until Winry had looked at him for help.

"Al, say something to him. Tell him that he needs to get a haircut." she said to Al.

"I'm right here you know." Ed said out loud.

"Brother, you need a haircut." Al said to Ed. All three of them groaned at the same time. Al looked down at his small kitty and began to play with it's small pink paws. The kitty just stared at Al and didn't bother to play with Al.

"Ed, just let me give you the stupid haircut so we can be over this." Winry tried again. Ed crossed his arms over his chest. Al sighed. This wasn't going to go anywhere with the both of them being stubborn.

"Why do you want me to cut my hair so badly, Win? It's just hair." Ed said. Winry felt her heart skip a beat. Hearing him call her "Win" felt so special to her. It made her completely happy and she felt her heart get lighter and lighter and-

"Oh no, you don't! Stop calling me nicknames, Ed. I know what you're trying to do!" she yelled. He looked at her innocently and pointed at himself.

"Me? No! I wouldn't do anything li-"

"Edward," she said in a warning tone. He stopped himself from talking anymore. Eventually, he finally gave up.

"UGH. Fine. I'll let you cut my hair." he said, annoyed. Winry smiled triumphantly.

"Let me go get everything. Just go sit down in the chair over there." she pointed to the chair that was in the kitchen. Ed got up and dragged himself over there. Al followed him, carrying Nikko in his arms.

"It's only a haircut, Brother. Why are you so against it?" Al asked Ed. Ed sighed and put his hand over his eyes.

"Because it's Winry who's going to cut my hair." Ed said at last. At first, Al didn't understand but then, he got it. He couldn't help but give a cheeky smile.

"Ah, yes. It will be a pain. Her hands on your hair. At times, she might have to touch your skin. Like, the back of your neck. She'll be really close to you. REALLY close." Al explained. Ed could feel his cheeks get warmer.

"Yes, I got it Al. Thank you for that fine explanation." Ed said firmly. Al shrugged his shoulders.

"It was no problem, really." Al said. But Al knew exactly what he did to Ed. His imagination must be working on overdrive.

"Winry's coming. I'll leave you to it." Al said, heading outside. Ed sat up quickly.

"You're leaving the house!?" he exclaimed. Al gave him a goofy grin.

"I want to let Nikko out for a walk." Al said.

"He's not a dog. He doesn't need to be taken out for a walk." Ed tried to explain but Al was already out the door.

"Bye!" Al yelled grabbing his hoodie and ran out the door. _Don't panic. So what Al left? So what Granny isn't here because she had to go out to take care of something? It's okay. It'll be fine._

"I'm back!" Winry said. Ed jumped a little and placed his hand over his heart.

"Y-yeah. I saw that." Winry walked over to him and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Hmm. It's actually a lot longer than I expected. C'mon. We have to wet your hair." Winry told him. Ed nodded slowly and followed Winry into the bathroom. The bathtub already had been filled with water. She sat on her knees and waited for Ed to do the same thing. After he did, she motioned with her hands to place his head over the bathtub.

"So, uh, is it cold or warm water?" he asked her. She grabbed the bowl floating on top of the tub, filled it with water and looked at Ed.

"Cold." she dumped the entire thing on Ed's hair and he gasped.

"That was super cold! Winry!" he yelled. She dumped more water on his long golden hair.

"Hey, I had to get you back for arguing with me. This is the only thing I could think of." she said, seriously. Once all of his hair was wet, she grabbed the towel on the sink.  
"Stand up so I can dry your hair a little bit." Carefully, Ed stood up, his head still over the bathtub. She grabbed his hair and slowly began to dry his hair. It was bit hard since he was taller than her.

Ed couldn't help but begin to doze off. It felt like a really small massage.

"Let's go back." she said, taking the towel off his head. He sighed and followed Winry back to the kitchen. Winry ran a comb through his locks. When it came to Winry, she did everything gently. He was sure it was a mechanic thing to handle everything with care. But he noticed that she did that with almost everything. When she was cooking or cleaning or even just holding a book. Even with his hair, he felt her trying to be as gently as possible. If she found a knot, she would try to get rid of it without hurting him at all.

Finally, Winry grabbed the scissors and began to trim Ed's hair. He wasn't sure how short she was cutting it but he imagined it was only about an inch.

"You almost done, Winry?" he asked her. She scoffed.

"It's only been ten minutes, Ed. Have some patience." she said. He sighed again and waited. He felt her brush her fingers on his neck. He shivered slightly.

"Your hands are kinda cold, Winry." he said. She smiled at his head.

"Sorry. Your hair's still wet, that's why. It made my hands cold." Winry said softly. The air was filled with silence. Ed desperately wanted to talk but he couldn't think of anything to talk about. If he asked her about automail, she would begin to think about automail and next thing he knew, his hair was in the shape of an automail arm. Anything else just seemed really boring. Especially alchemy. Ed heard Winry beginning to hum softly. He closed his eyes and listened to her. It was enough to fill the silence.

Winry, still humming, stood in front of Ed looking at his hair. He opened his eyes to see her face close to his.

"Done! I did a very good job, if I might add." she said proudly. He shook his head, trying to feel how long his hair was. It reached a little bit past the bottom of his shoulder blades. She had cut off about five inches off.

"Winry! I thought you were going to trim it, not hack it!" Ed yelled, reaching behind him.

"I didn't cut off a lot." Winry argued. He placed his hands over his face and groaned loudly.

"Ed, stop being a drama queen." She went to grab the dust pan and broom but Ed had grabbed from behind the waist.

"Wait, let me pay you." He said. Before she could even ask how, he moved her ponytail over her shoulder and placed his lips on the back of her neck. She let out a gasp. He trailed kisses all over her exposed neck, below her ear, and on her cheek. He let her go and she spun around to look at him.

"Wow." was all she could manage. He gave an embarrassed look. He only did that in the spur of the moment (_what moment, Ed?_) and now, he was actually embarrassed.

"It was supposed to be revenge for pouring cold water on my head but I highly doubt you hated it." he said, grinning stupidly. Winry could feel her heart working overtime.

"Well, I didn't hate it." Winry replied. He was about to lean in to kiss her when Granny and Al walked in.

"We're back!" Al yelled as loudly as he possibly could. Ed, panicking, ran to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a bath!" he yelled before he slammed the bathroom door. Winry quickly went to the kitchen to grab the broom and dustpan.

"Oh, were we interrupting something?" Granny asked loudly. Al snickered behind her, carrying Nikko.

"No!" yelled Ed and Winry at the same time. Granny only shook her head and chuckled.

"That runt." she said to herself. The ground rumbled and all of them heard the thunder roaring over them.

"It wasn't that cloudy when we were outside just now." Al said in confusion. Granny grabbed her pipe from her apron pocket and lit it. She sighed.

"Looks like winter wanted to arrive with a grand entrance." Granny finally said.

"Don't be surprised if it snows in a week. Anyhow, I'm tired so i'll be going to bed. Good night." she said over her shoulder. Granny left the two alone, staring at each other as the ground kept rumbling.

"Thanks, Granny." Winry said.

LINE BREAK YO

When Ed came down after taking his bath, he found Al, Winry, Nikko, and Den sitting on top of blankets and pillows in the living room Al was reading a horror novel and Winry was working on an automail leg.

"Um, what's this?" Ed heard the sky rumble and the rain pounding the ground.

"Oh! Me and Winry decide we should all sleep altogether. You know, like when we were kids?" Al said to him, not even looking up from his book. Ed nodded as if he understood. No, he did understand. But what he didn't get was why they wanted to do this now. Suddenly, a bright flash appeared in the sky. Al and Winry flinched at the sudden light. They pretended to be engrossed in what they were doing.

"I get it now. You guys are scared of lightning." Ed observed. Al and Winry stayed quiet.

"Hey, I'm not making fun of you. I'm just saying." Ed walked over to them. He sat down beside Winry and grabbed a book Al had next to him. It was quiet for a couple of minutes before there was another flash of light outside. Winry jumped and Al accidentally dropped his book on his face.

"Ow!" he said. Ed looked at the both of them and sighed.

"How about I tell you guys a story?" Ed suggested. Al looked at Ed.

"We're not kids, brother. I think we can take on a little lightning." he said. Ed shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay then. I'll be going back to my room then." Ed was about to get up before Winry grabbed his hand.

"Stay. Please.' she whispered. Ed looked at Winry's light blue eyes. He sat back down in defeat. Al looked relieved.

"So, can I tell this story or not?" Ed asked. Al closed his book and set it to the side. Winry stopped working on her automail. Ed took this is a sign to start the story.

"Okay. I remember reading this story when I was little. Actually, I kinda memorized it because mom gave me the book. Most of it is…" he stopped looking down in embarrassment.

"Love stories." Ed finished. Al shook his head and smiled.

"It's like mom to lend you a book like that." Al said to him. Winry couldn't help but grin at all the stories Ed and Al's mom had told her that had to do with love.

"Here goes. It's also a fantasy." Ed added.

"C'mon, Ed!" Winry urged him to continue.

"You know what, let me go grab the book." Ed said. He ran to his room going through the mess he had to find the book. He finally found it and quietly ran back.

"Okay! Here I go." Ed said. He cleared his throat and began to read.

"_The High Summoner and the fugitive ran down the pitch black hall. Their footsteps echoed through the narrow path. The High Summoner was panting and her heart was beating loudly. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks. She knew what she was doing was wrong. It went everything against everything she was taught But she loved this person too much to him go. When they reached the end of the hall, a large circle like room was lit up with searchlights. A giant cannon was pointed in the direction of the hall they just came from. The fugitive told her to wait. She felt like her heart was bruising the inside of her ribs. She cutched the locket on her chest. Without warning, there was the sound of a piano being played. The five glowing orbs on the cannon turned from blue to red. One by one, a symbol began to appear. She knew what he was going to do."_

"Wait, wait. Hang on a second. This is a love story? This sounds like a tragedy. And this is the story you memorized, brother?" Al said. Ed shrugged.

"I was a little kid who hated romance. What are you gonna do?" he replied.

"What about now?" Winry asked, a bit worried.

"Now? It's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me." he said before he continued.

"'_Stop!' The High Summoner cried out. The sound of rhythmical beats entered the hall. They found them. The fugitive ran out from behind the cannon to embrace the High Summoner. They looked at each other, pain and sadness filling their eyes. The fugitive tried to burn every detail of her in his mind. He smiled at the hair beads he had given to her for her birthday. He felt like a fool. What good is he if he can't protect the most important person in his life? The High Summoner placed her hand on his cheek. Using her other hand, she yanked the locket from her neck. She placed it in his hand._"

A loud crack of lightning filled the entire room. But no one seemed to notice. They were too busy listening to Ed's voice telling the story of two tragic lovers.

"_The marching of footsteps finally halted. The fugitive glared at the men with guns pointed at them. They cocked their rifles. The High Summoner let her arm drop to her side. Small balls of light began to orbit around them like fireflies. She looked at the soldiers, tears falling down her eyes.  
_'_I love you.' she whispered to him. Slowly, she closed her eyes. The sound of shots echoed through the room. Two bodies fell to the floor. The fugitive couldn't feel anything. Using the little strength he could, he grabbed the High Summoners hand. Her eyes began to dim, her life escaping her. He tried to make out the words he wanted her to hear. But the light in her eyes gave out. He wasn't able to tell her. And now he could never hear them. He prayed to the gods he betrayed to give them a second chance. Because he loved her so much."_

Ed closed the book and looked at them. Winry was holding back tears and Al was staring at him with his mouth open.

"Now that I re-read it…" Ed said.

"That was so sad. What happened afterwards?" Winry asked.

"This happens to be a story about reincarnation. So, you have to read it to find out." Ed said, handing her the book. Winry frantically kept reading from where Ed left off.

Throughout the rest of the night, they all talked about the idea of reincarnation. It was a small debate and they found themselves staying up all night until the crack of dawn. When they finally fell asleep, Ed was laying on his back with his stomach exposed, Winry right next to Ed's stomach, and Al being suffocated by Nikko and Den.

(A/N: SO! How was that? I'm pretty proud of the story I created. It's a spin-off of a game. It's not original but I tried to make it. Question: Who believes in reincarnation besides me? Anyhow, review?)


	13. Chapter 13

**(a/n: Yo! Chibi, here. Yes, I did update early. I'm happy I did because this story would not leave my mind. AT ALL. I'm not kidding.**

**To fullmetal passion: Writing chapter three also made me cry. I can't believe no one talked about it. I really wanted to know how everyone felt. Thank you for your review! It means a lot!**

**To BlueZebraAFHS, I understand your reincarnation belief. I like it and you explained it pretty well. I enjoyed thinking about it for the rest of the day. As always, your reviews are gold. Thanks so much!**

**To .1, everyone loves the line breaks, yo! I'm glad I was able to make you laugh. Thanks for your review!**

**And last be not least, Namindu: this chapter is dedicated to you. I wouldn't even have gotten the idea without your review. Thanks so much! **

**To all my followers, both new and old, I never thought I would have made it this far without you. Thanks a bunch! Enjoy!)**

Ed woke up to the sound of slow rain falling on the roof. His eyes settled on a blonde haired beauty snuggled close to his chest. His arms was draped protectively around her. He took in this small moment, looking at her slightly pink cheeks, her lips, her everything. It surprised Ed that he never truly saw her for the women she had become until now. He was always away, always ignorant to her. Winry stirred slightly and he stiffened. It would be the death of him if he was caught staring at Winry. When he felt her relax, he let out a sigh of relief. Until he heard someone clear his throat.

Ed turned around to see Al holding his head up with his arm, fully awake.

"Morning, brother. Get a good night sleep?" Al whispered to him.

"Do you purposely do this to me?" Ed whispered back. But he didn't move away from Winry.

"No. You just make it so easy for me." Al said. Ed rolled his eyes at him.

"Let's get up and make breakfast before anyone else wakes up." Ed told him. Carefully, Ed placed Winry's head on the pillow and covered her with his blanket. She snuggled closer to the blanket, making Ed's heart skip a beat.

"Brother, I don't think it's normal to stare a person while they're asleep." Al whispered to him as he got up. He fixed his shirt, which had been wrinkled.

"Even if the person I'm staring at is someone I deeply care about?" Ed retorted. Al opened his mouth to say something but then just closed it.

"You got me there." Al said at last. Ed chuckled and they made their way to the kitchen. Ed looked outside when he passed the window. With the wind blowing the naked trees and the clouds forming thick barriers, it was most likely that the rain wouldn't let go anytime soon.

Al came up to his brother and touched his arm slightly.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked him. Ed knew he was referring to the last time it rained. Rain still had an emotional effect on him but he wasn't going to let it take over.

"Yeah. Don't worry." Ed gave him his best smile and Al just smiled back.

"Morning, boys." Pinako said as she entered the kitchen. They both murmured a small "good morning" and began making the morning's meal.

"Oh! Before you boys start making breakfast, can you fix the table for me? It's beginning to get a little wobbly and I don't have the strength to fix it." she said, rubbing her eyes.

"She can't fix a table but she can fix people's automail without sleeping for days." Ed muttered underneath his breath. Pinako rolled her eyes.

"Stop whining about it. Just do it." Pinako said, making her way back to her room. Ed made a face at her back. He turned the table around so the legs faced up. He shook each one until he found the one that was slightly wobbly. He went to the drawer that held the hammer and the nails.

"Do you really think we should make noise while Winry is asleep?" Al asked Ed. Before Ed could answer, Winry walked in, placing her head in her usual ponytail.

"It's okay. I'm already awake." Ed froze.

"H-how long have you been awake?" he asked. _Maybe it's a coincidence that she woke up now. I mean, what's the chance of her being awake when I was talking to Al?_

"I've been awake long enough to hear a few certain things." she mumbled, avoiding his eyes. Ed nodded at the ground, his cheeks getting a bit red. He was just so new to this and he couldn't help but getting embarrassed easily. Al cleared his throat and nudged his brother in the stomach.

"We should really fix this table, brother." Al said to Ed. Ed realized where he was again and set out to do what Pinako had asked them to do.

It wasn't until Ed placed the nail on the leg and he had raised the hammer that he realized he didn't know how to fix the table. He looked up at Al, who was waiting for him. Ed looks so confused, his eyes furrowed together as he came to the horrible conclusion:

"I-I don't know how to fix it." Al gave a small laugh.

"What do you mean you don't know how to fix it? It's easy." Al held out his hand. Ed gave him the nail and the hammer. Al put the nail where Ed had it and raised the hammer. The feeling was a bit unusual to him. He tried to hit the nail...and missed.

"OWW!" Al cried, holding his thumb. He looked at the hammer he dropped in frustration. Ed grabbed the hammer and nail, staring at them as if he had discovered something new. Al stared at his brother. Winry, who had been in the bathroom for the moment, walked back in to see Al and Ed in a trance by something or someone.

"It's called a hammer, Ed." she said to him. He quickly turned his head to her, glaring.

"Yes, I see that. Thank you." he said, sarcasm seeping from his mouth. She glared back and just raised her hands in defense. Ed placed the nail back where it was going to go and raised the hammer again. His eyes had a confused look to it. Al startled everyone when he yelled.

"What!?" Ed asked, worried.

"What if we use alchemy?" Al asked his brother. For a quick second, Ed's eyes looked sad. Then he smiled at his brother.

"Sure, Al. But you gotta do the honors." Al's smiled quickly left as it came. It came to everyone's realization that Ed couldn't do alchemy. Ever. Again.

"Oh. Um, okay." Al kneeled in front of the table. He clapped his hands together and placed them on the table. Nothing happened. Al felt his heart stop.

"W-what happened to my alchemy?" he asked, horrified. Ed kneeled beside his brother to calm him.

"Don't worry. You still have it. But I think since you got your body back, you aren't able to do alchemy without a transmutation circle anymore. Looks like you have to go back to the ol' fashioned way." he said, teasingly.

"Ah, man. Looks like I gotta go get my chalk." Al said, standing up. He headed to his room, leaving Winry and Ed alone. Winry, who was quiet the whole time, looked at Ed. Ed was still smiling when he looked at her. Winry looked mad.

"You can't fix it? What do you mean you can't fix it?" Ed looked confused.

"It means that I don't know how to use a hammer, Winry." he responded. Winry shook her head. Her hands were in fists and she was shaking.

"Don't be stupid. Yes you can. You make it seem like you can't do something as simple as hitting a stupid nail with a hammer." she whispered harshly. Now Ed was starting to get mad.

"What are you trying to say, Winry?" But Ed knew where she was going with this. She knew him too well.

"I know what you're thinking, Edward. And it's not true." she said angrily. Ed couldn't help but chuckle. She had seen the hidden message he didn't mean to relay.

"Winry, listen. I-"

"I got it!" Al yelled as he came back in holding his white chalk. Ed and Winry shared a secret look that said _we're not done talking yet. _The three of them carefully flipped the table back over. Al drew a small transmutation circle on top. He placed his hands on top of the circle. A bright blue light emerged from the table and filled the kitchen. Ed looked at the familiar light, a sudden nostalgia overwhelming his heart. But the look on Al's face as he did alchemy made it go away. His smile was bright as the light itself and his eyes were filled with such a fierce passion. Winry took Ed's hand, never looking away from Al. She squeezed his hand gently and let go.

Eventually, the light died down. Al tried to wobble the table again but it was obviously fixed. He smiled at Ed and Winry.

"I did it." he whispered happily. Ed suddenly remembered his mother. Those times when Ed and Al did alchemy, how much did it hurt her to be reminded of Hohenheim? Now, when Ed sees Al, all he remembers is the fact that he can never do alchemy again. Yet...seeing Al smile so happily, it made him happy as well.

"Yes, you did." Ed said, smiling and ruffling Al's hair. Al beamed at his older brother who could never use alchemy again.

LINE BREAK YO

Winry walked -no- stomped into Ed's room after she had finished with her work. Al and Ed were sitting on the floor, alchemy books surrounding them. There was dozens of transmutations circles all around them, drawn on paper. Al and Ed looked up at them same time when Winry cleared her throat. Apparently, they hadn't heard her stomping to the room.

"Oh! Hey, Winry! Look at what me and brother created!" he said, holding up a piece of paper. Winry hadn't seen a genuine smile like that since Al and Ed had shown Winry alchemy for the second time. (The first was obviously a failure.) She smiled back at him.

"You look like a little kid again, smiling like that." she teased. Al gave a cheeky grin.

"Granny wanted you for something, Al." Winry said. Al looked at Winry, then at Ed.

"Oh! _Suuuuure. _Granny wants me for something. If you wanted to be alone, you could have asked." Al said, getting up. Winry sputtered, trying to deny it. Al just laughed as he walked it. Winry closed the door. She looked back at Ed who was leaning against the bed.

"I'm fine, Winry." Ed said. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not stupid." Winry snapped. Ed's eye twitched. He frowned at her.

"I never said that. And you know it. Look, I gave up my alchemy for him. I don't regret it and I'll never regret it." Winry walked over to Ed to sit down next to him. She leaned against the bed.

"It's not about regretting it. I know you don't regret it. But you lost something you had for so long. It's obviously going to hurt." she said quietly. Ed didn't say anything. He stared at the books surrounding him. They weren't even the ones his dad had owned. Their brand new ones that he and Al had bought during the years they traveled everywhere.

"Ed, talk to me. I know boys aren't supposed to talk about their feelings but you've haven't talked in so long. It's okay to speak your mind." she whispered quietly. He gave her a small smile.

"You really know me, don't you?" he whispered back. He let his head fall back on the bed. His golden hair trickled down the bed like waves of honey. Winry noticed his eyes had become glossy. He closed them and let out a shaky sigh.

"If someone had taken your ability to do automail, what's the first thing you would think of?" he asked her. Winry let her head lean back on the bed as well. She stared up at the ceiling.

"I would probably freak out and wonder what the heck am I going to do next." she answered him.

"Exactly. That's how I feel. But I don't know what I can do. Sure, I can fight and cook and stuff. But that's it. I just never thought it would come down to this." Winry looked over at Ed, who still had his eyes closed. She sighed.

"If I lost my ability, I would still try to do something that had to do with automail. I would own a shop and hire people who knew how to make automail. I don't know. Maybe something like that. But the point is, I might have lost the ability to do automail, but I will always have my love and passion for it." she said to him. Winry felt Ed's hand meet hers. He held her hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"How is it that you know how to say the right things?" he asked. She shrugged, squeezing his hand this time.

"It's a talent, really." she said. Ed chuckled. They stayed like that for a couple more minutes before Winry broke the silence.

"The rain never went away, did it?" she asked.

"Nope. I doubt it'll go away quickly."he responded. Ed finally opened his eyes to look over at her. This time her eyes were closed. He smiled but then stopped when he became aware of how close they were. His face was warm and he was about to back away before he stopped himself.

"Winry?" he asked. She smiled.

"Yes?" she asked. He looked away, took a deep breath, and looked at Winry again.

"I'm going to kiss your cheek, okay?" Before she could respond, he placed a small kiss on her cheek. His lips were tingly. Her skin was soft and smelled like oil and sweet peas. _Sweet peas?_

"Sweet peas?" he asked. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"It was a perfume that Riza- I mean- Lieutenant Hawkeye sent me." she answered, turning away.

"I like it." he whispered. She looked at him and bit her lip, trying to hide her smile. He smiled at her, a genuine smile.

"You know last time it rained, you slept in my bed." Ed said quietly. She scoffed.

"Don't push your luck, Ed. First, you have to take me out on a date." she said to him. He didn't back down.

"Alright. I'll take you out on a date. It's a promise." he said, extending his pinky. She held his pink with hers, both staring at their hands.

"So, can I come in now?" Al asked.

**(a/n2: SO! How was that? Review and let me know! More reviews or more followers = updates that are quicker!)**


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here! I know I took a lot longer and I'm sorry! I'll try to update sooner to make up for not updating sooner!  
****SO! Here's my shout-out to all of you following me or who favorited this story: PolkadotBunny, RonAndKim, saymoan11, DiveIntoMyHeart, Girlinthewind76, ronygirl97, Flygrrl, BluezebraAFHS_,_ Qirex, WolfiePieAngel1, yelrac, Yorokobi Asahi, hapi3rachel, 666vampirelover666, AlliH, AnimeRideDieorFreak, Alchemy Pancakes, lilhunter032003, DarkLadyRevan41, davidturner92, fullmetalpassion, and MaxAndFang101! You guys are all sweethearts! Thank you especially to those who always review. Enjoy!)**

The rain had finally let go. All of Resembool was covered in rain or mud. The temperature had fallen low enough for the top part of the ground to be covered in frost. The air was crisp after the long showers that had been poured onto the small country side. Life suddenly sprung back into life as people slowly trickled out of their house and back outside. After what felt like years (but in reality was only days) everyone was able to step outside once more and enjoy the outdoors. Everyone except for Winry, that is.

Winry opened her eyes to find small rays enter her room. She began to shiver despite the warmth of the sun bathing her. She wrapped the blanket around her, hoping it would help, but she kept shivering. Despite her brain yelling _NO!_, she removed the blanket and ran to her closet to grab a pair of sweats she had stolen from Ed and the white hoodie. She threw it on. As she ran back to her bed, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Yup, there was no doubt about it. She was sick. Her button nose was pink from the multiple of times she had to wipe her nose with a tissue. Her face had a tired look in it. Her bright blue eyes had lost its usual brightness (no doubt from the lack of sleep). Her hair was a huge mess, tangled in one place or sticking out in another. And her throat hurt like crazy. Nothing about her looked or felt appealing. Ignoring her current appearance, she went back into bed, shivering once more. She nestled underneath the covers. Winry felt her cheeks with her own hand, finding them a bit warmer than usual. She groaned.

"Winry?" Al asked from outside her door. She sniffled and cleared her throat before answering Al.

"Yes?" she croaked. Al slowly opened the door to find an eskimo Winry. She gave him a small wave.

"Hi." she said quietly. He walked up to her, Nikko following right behind.

"Good morning, Winry. How are you on this fine day?" he said, smirking. She rolled her eyes.

"I know what you're going to say. So don't say it." she said, annoyed. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What was I going to say?" he said, feining innocence. Even though it hurt her throat, she scoffed.

"You were going to say, 'I told you so.'" she said. He grinned.

"You said it for me, so it's good enough." he replied. During the days it rained, Winry had insisted on going outside and playing underneath the rain. Al and Ed had declined but Winry still went outside. The next day she found herself with an itchy throat. The day after, a cough that hadn't gone away. And now, a fever and the sniffles.

Al placed the back of his hand on her forehead. She really didn't want to be sick. She had appointments and so much stuff to do. But the reason she felt a lot worse than the other days was because she had worked herself too much, never giving herself a break. _What a bad idea that was._

"Hmm. I'll go make you some lemon and honey tea. That should help you sweat out the fever." Al told her, making his way out of her bedroom. She sat up and sniffled.

"Okay. I'll drink it while I'm working." He sighed and shook his head.

"Winry, if you want to get better, you have to actually _rest_." he said. This time, she sighed.

"Fine." she laid back down. He nodded in triumph. Nikko followed Al out the door. When Al closed the door, Winry coughed. It had been so long since she was taken care of. Granny, of course, was there for her but Winry didn't like burdening her grandmother. So, she usually sucked it up and forced herself to get through it. But now, it was just hard to even gather all of her strength to get out of bed. Winry hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until Al came back thirty minutes later.

"Winry," he said, shaking her shoulder a little. She opened her eyes, the sleepiness never leaving her. He had to shake her a couple times more.

"Huh? Oh, Al. It's you." she said, smiling. He handed her the mug that said "Best Automail Mechanic!" Ed had given her when they came back to visit from one of their journeys. Winry chuckled at the memory as she extended her hand to grab the mug. Carefully, she blew it enough for her to take a small sip. The taste of honey filled her mouth and when she swallowed, the lemon hit her in the back of the throat. She cleared her throat again before thanking Al.

"Where's Ed?" she asked before she took another sip. Al sighed.

"I don't know. I don't think he's even woken up." Winry felt herself get angry. _No, I'm not laying here sick in bed. Don't worry about me. _

"Thank you for the tea, Al. It's nice to know someone cared enough to check up on me." she said, handing back the empty cup. He rubbed the back of his head. Guilt quickly crossed his face before he gave Winry a toothy grin.

"Well , don't give me too much credit." he told her. She began to doze off. Al quietly told her "Good Night" before he walked out of the room.

LINE BREAK YO

Winry opened her eyes to find the sun almost completely gone from the sky. Her eyes widened at the fact she had spent almost all of the day sleeping. Not only that, but also because she felt so much better than when she had woken up in the morning. Her nose wasn't runny anymore and her fever was completely gone. She sat up and stretched out her stiff muscles. She was about to get out bed when Ed walked in through the door.

"Morning, sleepy head. Get a good night sleep?' he asked her. He was holding a tray. She wanted to get mad at him for not checking on her this morning but, it just seemed plain stupid to get mad at him for that. So, she just gave him her best smile.

"Yes I did, actually. I feel so much better." Ed placed the tray on Winry's lap. It was a bowl of soup, a cup of water, and some medicine that they definitely didn't have before.

"Sorry. Because of me we weren't able to go out today." Winry said quietly before she eat a spoonful of soup. Ed and Winry had promised each other that as soon as the rain let go, they would go out and finally enjoy their date. But because Winry got sick, that possibility was thrown out the window.

"Ah, don't worry. This gives me much more time to plan an even more perfect date." When Ed realized what he had said, he blushed and looked away from Winry. Winry smiled at her soup. She saw the medicine again and remembered what she wanted to ask Ed.

"Hey Ed, where did you get this medicine?" Ed looked down at the medicine. She grabbed the small pill and the water. He shrugged as she took her medicine.

"I don't know. From the pharmacist store in town." he said. She looked at him.

"Ed, the nearest store that sells _this kind_ of medicine is about two hours away...by car. We don't have a car." he shrugged again.

"Did...did you _walk_ there?"she asked in utter surprise. He shrugged but the grin he was trying to hide was escaping him.

"You walked!? Ed, that's about five hours to get there and another five hours to get back!" she said loudly.

"I needed the exercise." he said. She noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual clothing that he would wear at the house. He even still had his coat on that proved he had gone out. Some strands of his hair was falling out his ponytail. He looked tired but he was doing his best not to show it. Winry wasn't sure what to do. Her heart was practically overwhelmed at what Ed did just for her.

"I...You… Wow. Thank you. I really mean it, Ed." she said, hiding her glossy eyes. He gave a small smile.

"I'm pretty sure anyone would've done it. You were coughing really badly last night. I asked Al to check up on you in the morning after I left. I was really worried, you know." he told her. Ed remembered that a while back Al had told Ed he was getting real cheesy. If it wasn't true then, it was true now. Winry looked up at him. He was fighting a blush creeping on his cheeks. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down so he could sit on the edge of her bed.

"You know, you weren't as worrisome about me before as you are now." she told him. She hadn't let go of his hand.

"I know." was all he responded back.

"What changed?" she asked, twiddling with his right hand. He looked at their hands.

"I don't know. What I do know is that you are worth worrying over. Even if I lose all of my hair. You are worth worrying over and you are something I promise to protect." Winry wanted so badly to wrap her arms around him. But she wasn't completely covered. She didn't want him to get sick. As if Ed had read her mind, he leaned forward and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"You need to eat and get better." he said, pulling away. She sighed and ate her soup, Ed never leaving her side. He had grabbed the chair in her room and placed it next to her bed. He sat down and began to read an automail book lying on the floor. Winry glanced at him from the corner of the eye and smiled. She wasn't sure what made Ed change but she didn't mind. Truthfully, she didn't care which Ed was with her right now. She loved every side of him. The angry side, the funny side, the sarcastic side, the happy side, it didn't matter. As long as it was Ed.

"Wait, so Al knew about you leaving/" she asked him. He nodded at her. _That kid is just getting way too cocky._

**(A/n: SO! How was that? Let me know! Got some ideas you want to see here? Leave them as a review. Got a question for me? Don't be afraid to ask or PM me. Or just plain review!)**

****(Author's Personal Note: So, it's hot here and as I was writing this, I got even hotter. I almost felt as if I was the on wrapped up in the blankets. It's supposed to be winter and it feels like summer where I live. It's only spring too. Yeesh. This is gonna be hard.)**  
**


	15. Chapter 15

(**A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here! So, I'm sure you're wondering where Al got his crazy confidence from, right? In order to answer your dying curiosity, I have created this short chapter based upon those few comments who have talked about Al's mischievous side. Hopefully, it's a bit clearer. Thank you to my followers who have followed me from the beginning. Thank you more to those who review. And thank you to AnimeRideorDieFreak and fullmetalpassion for reviewing on Al's behavior. Your reviews were the building blocks for this short chapter.**  
**BluezebraAFHS, be expecting your idea in the chapters yet to come! Enjoy!)**

Winry woke up to feel her body shaking. Her eyes snapped open and she saw Ed over her, shaking her shoulders. His eyes gleamed with mischief and the grin he had told her whatever he was planning so early in the morning wasn't good.

"Winry! Wake up." he whispered loudly. She rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm already awake, dummy. Stop shaking me." she said.

"Oh. Sorry." He let go of her shoulders. She carefully sat up, breathing in deeply. She was able to breathe from her nose now and her lungs didn't feel like they were on fire anymore. Winry felt a whole lot better than yesterday. It was because of the medicine Ed had brought for her. But she could still feel a cough rising up from her. She wasn't completely healed. Winry knew she'd be a lot better if she was resting. Which is why she wondered what the heck Ed was thinking, waking her up so early.

"Why'd you wake me up, Ed?" she asked, getting ready to lay back down. He sat down on the edge of her bed. With him so close, she noticed that his hair wasn't pulled back into it's usual ponytail or even in his braid. It was messy and yet he still managed it to look good in the morning. Winry couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Her hair was a monster in the morning, always fighting with her brush. Winry also noticed that he was wearing a black pajama bottom that she had never noticed on him before and his black tank top. Whatever he had to tell her, it was clearly important because he didn't bother to change.

"I'm pretty sure you've noticed how confident Al's been acting lately, right?" he said, inching closer to her. She nodded and tried to ignore how close he was getting.

"Well, have you wondered why?" he continued. She looked up, trying to look like she was thinking. She kept looking up and Ed got impatient.

"Okay, here's what I think," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "Maybe he's been secretly talking to a certain someone and that person always seems to boost his esteem."

She gave him a look that said _Seriously? That's what you came up with?_

"Don't give me that look. I know it seems stupid but I noticed that after we came back from Central for his birthday, he always checks the mail. Now, the only reason to prove my theory is correct is to check to see if he's hiding anything in his room." he said with excitement. Winry stared at Ed before she laid back down, snuggling underneath her fluffy blankets. Ed tugged the blanket off and shook Winry's shoulder again.

"C'mon, Winry! Be my partner in crime. Al went with Granny into town to go grab the ingredients for tonight's dinner. This is the perfect chance!" he said, hoping to change Winry's mind. She glared at him and pulled the blanket over her again.

"No." she said from underneath. Ed sighed dramatically.

"And here I thought we'd finally do something together." Ed said out loud. Winry's heart pounded inside her chest until she realized what they'd be doing.

"Yeah, going through your little brother's stuff is not what I'd rather be doing." she told him. He grinned.

"What would you rather be doing then?" he said in a teasing voice. She looked behind her and glared at Ed.

"Sleeping." she turned back around. Ed was in such a good mood, he kept teasing her.

"Together?" he asked. She threw the blankets off and stood up so quickly, Ed had to stop to comprehend what had just happened.

"Fine. I'll be your partner in crime. But if we get caught, I'm blaming you." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He nodded. Ed looked behind her and grabbed one of the thinner blankets from her bed. He placed it over her shoulders.

"Just in case. I don't want you getting sick again...or cold." he turned around to hide his slightly pink face. Winry smiled at the back of Ed's head. Together, they made their way to Al's room which was across Ed's room.

"So why did Al go with Granny?" Winry asked him. He opened the door to Al's room and turned around to face her.

"I told you, to get ingredients for tonight's dinner." he responded. He walked inside, Winry following right behind him. Nikko was sleeping peacefully on Al's bed.

"I know that. I mean, why did _he_ go with her?" she asked. Ed went straight to Al's desk. He sat down in his chair. Winry sat on Al's bed, leaning against the wall.

"Al was already awake when she was getting ready to leave. He offered to go and she said yes." he answered.

"Sounds like you were already awake though. Why didn't you offer to go?" she asked him. He gave a sheepish grin.

"Well, I can't ask Al to be my partner in crime now, can I? Besides, if both me and Al went, who'd be here to take care of you?" Ed opened Al's top drawer. Winry noticed Al wasn't the only one who had changed. Ed had also become more confident than before(Although she wasn't sure how that was possible). He seemed more open and he showed his feelings a lot more. He even seemed more open about how he felt towards Winry. She liked it.

"Aha! Found something." Ed said, holding up a small stack of letters. Ed made his way to Al's bed and sat beside Winry. He placed Nikko on the floor and he sat extremely close to her, their shoulders touching.

"Let's see what we have here." Ed grabbed one letter and checked the return address. It was from the Xing Empire.

"Don't tell me he's been talking to that stupid idiot prince." But Ed re-read the return address to see that he had misread the name. It was actually from Mei Chang. Ed looked at Winry and Winry looked at Ed. Winry began to grin widely and Ed's mouth dropped.

"You don't think...maybe he…" Ed said. Winry shrugged but the grin didn't escape her lips.

"I don't know. But Al is protective so maybe he keeps in touch with her to make sure Ling doesn't break his promise about protecting her clan." Winry suggested. Ed nodded slowly. He began to open one of the letters but Winry stopped him by grabbing it out of his hands. He gaped at her and Winry shook her head.

"No, Ed. What goes on between them stays between them." Ed frowned. He tried grabbing it out of her hands but she pulled it away from his grasp.

"No. Ed, dammit!" He kept trying to grab the letters but each time he did, she just pulled it away. He climbed over her. She placed the letters underneath her and she laid on top of them. He began to tickle her sides.

"No, wait! Stop!" she began to laugh loudly. Ed couldn't help but laugh along with her, even though he wasn't the one being tickled. She moved to one side, exposing the letters. He was about to snatch them before Winry laid back on top of them. He kept tickling her sides. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"It's Al's letters! Stop!" she said in between laughs. The door swung open and Ed stopped tickling her. They both looked at the door to find Al. He put up his hands in disbelief.

"On my bed!? Really!?" he walked away, muttering to himself. Winry took the chance to throw Ed on the floor. She placed the letters back in Al's drawer.

"No reading." she mouthed to Ed, who was on the floor. As she walked away, her face began to burn in embarrassment. But she didn't know that she wasn't the only one embarrassed. A certain golden haired boy on the floor was also burning up, but that didn't stop the stupid grin on his face.

**(A/N: So! How was that? Tell me so I can improve. Want longer chapters? Let me know! Got an idea but you'd rather read it than write it yourself? Leave it as a review or PM me! Or just review! I'll update sooner if I get some more reviews!)**


	16. Chapter 16

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here. I'll make this a/n short. I think I'm making Ed real cheesy. What do you guys think?**  
**Namindu, I'm making them about 16-17. By the end of this story , they should be 21. Still undecided about that though.**  
**fullmetalpassion, Sorry. I haven't gotten the chance to let Ed and Winry smooch yet. But they'll be plenty of that in future chapters. Don't you worry.**  
**BluezebraAFHS, thanks you so much for this idea. Hopefully, it's just as you imagine it. Your reviews are golden. **  
**To all my followers, new and old, you guys are sweethearts! Enjoy!)**

Ed placed his spoon inside the empty bowl, satisfied with himself. He had eaten two servings of Granny's stew. He slumped down on his chair and rubbed his belly.

"As always Granny, that was delicious." He looked at the small lady sitting in front of him. She looked up at him with her small eyes and smiled.

"Complimenting me? Why, that's rare." Ed frowned at her.

"I can compliment people. I'm not conceited, you know." Winry snorted and Al gave Ed a _Suuuuuure _kind of look. Ed just rolled his eyes at them.

"If you say so, Ed." Granny slurped her stew quietly. Ed banged his hand on the table.

"Damn it, can't a guy give a compliment without being judged?" he yelled.

"Not if it's you, Ed." Winry said, next to him. He glared at her but she just kept eating her stew. He chugged the remaining water he had in his cup, grabbed his bowl and cup, and excused himself from the table.

"Winry, it's your turn to wash the dishes." Granny said to her. Al raised his hand as if he was in school.

"I don't mind doing them." he said. Granny shook her head.

"Winry has skipped out on her days to wash the dishes. She isn't busy right now, so she can wash them. But thank you for offering, Alphonse." Granny said. He smiled. She excused herself from the table. Al and Winry were the only ones left.

"Offering to do the dishes again, Al? What's gotten you so attached to doing dishes all the time?"

Al looked at his hands and grinned.

"The feel of the soap on my hands." Winry's heart clenched a little. It was moments like these she remembers that he went almost five years without feeling simple things like soap from washing dishes. It almost made her feel guilty that she took advantage of that all the time.

"Tell you what: How about you help me cut up some apples for an apple pie?" she said. His face lit up and suddenly, he looked like a little kid again.

"Sure! Just tell me how to do it." he said, already getting out of his chair. She chuckled and together, they cleaned up the table to start making the apple pie. Winry grabbed a few apples from the apple basket. She carefully took the cutting knife from the kitchen and the cutting board. Al followed her back to the dining room. She set everything on the table for him. Excited, he sat down and grabbed an apple. He took a bite out of it. Winry rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Okay. All you have to do is peel the skin with the knife. Once you're done doing that, cut the apple in half and cut that half into half. Simple, right?" Al nodded slowly. Winry decided it would be better to demonstrate it just in case he didn't understand her. After she was done, Al looked a lot more confident about how to do it.

"I got it. Should I do all of them?" he asked her, pointing at all the apples on the table. She nodded and grabbed one of the apples. She took a bite out of it and headed into the kitchen to begin washing the dishes.

LINE BREAK YO!

Ed walked inside the dining room to find Al cutting up some apples.

"Hey, Al. What-um- what are you doing?" Ed sat down in the chair next to Al. He grabbed one of the slices and shoved it into his mouth before his brother could complain. Al huffed and moved the plate of apple slices on the opposite side of where Ed was sitting.

"I'm cutting up some apples for apple pie. Duh." Al said. Ed nodded and quickly swiped another slice from the plate.

"Brother, if you don't stop…" Al warned Ed. Ed raised his arms up in defense.

"Don't worry. I won't grab another." He looked into the kitchen to find Winry still washing dishes. Her back was toward him so she hadn't noticed that Ed was with Al. He looked back at Al.

"Am I really conceited?" Ed asked Al quietly. Al begin to laugh quietly, his shoulders shaking. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"She got to you, didn't she?" Al asked him. Ed shrugged but his eyes said otherwise.

"Nah. You're a good person, Brother. And you think of others. Don't worry about what she said. She was just teasing." Al said, reassuring him. Ed didn't look convinced.

"But you would tell me if I was being conceited, right?" Al sighed.

"Yes, I would. But you're not." Ed breathed a sigh of relief. He ruffled his little brother's hair and headed into the kitchen, but not before he swiped another slice of apple.

Ed quietly crept into the kitchen. It amazed him to see that Winry hadn't noticed him come down from his room. He stopped mid-way when it looked like she was about to turn around. Ed was about to scare her until he heard her humming. He stopped, listening to the tune. He immediately recognized it as one the tunes his mother used to hum. A simple melody but the melody itself had a story. It was a tale of love. Ed couldn't stop the stupid grin from growing on his face. His heart was galloping inside his chest. _Winry, you are going to be the death of me. _He tiptoed behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She yelped.

"Dammit, Ed! You scared me half to death." she grabbed some of the soap spud from the dish and wiped it on his face. They both froze. Winry immediately regretted it.

"Ed…" she said carefully. He let go of her waist and grabbed handful of bubbles from the dishes.

"Wait!" he rubbed it on her hair, her ponytail coming undone. They both stared at each other and finally all hell broke lose. They began to throw bubbles from each other. At one point, they had to stop to create more bubbles. Ed began to laugh, still throwing bubbles at also began to laugh with him. but they didn't stop.

"What the…?" They both stopped to see Al, standing at the doorway with an apple in his hand. At that moment, they both realized they must have looked ridiculous with soap all over them and their hair drenched in water.

"Don't mind me. Just coming in to…" Al couldn't even make out the last word before his gegan to double over in laughter. He clutched his stomach and fell to the floor. Winry and Ed also began to laugh but for a whole new different reason. While Al lay on the floor, they both grabbed a handful of bubbles and threw it Al. Al stopped laughing and looked at the bubbles on his shirt.

"Oh, it is on."

In the end, Granny had to wash the dishes while everyone else cleaned up the war that had ensued in the kitchen.

**(A/N: So, how was it? I think I could have done better. What do you guys think? Leave a review and tell me. Have an idea but you'd rather read it than write it? Leave the idea as a review or PM me. Or just review!)**


	17. Chapter 17

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here! I have updated for you because I gained about five followers after I last updated so I need to repay you guys. I reach thirty and each and everyone of you mean a lot. Even if you just began to follow this story or you've been following since the first chapters, you are all so awesome. I hope you guys have realized that it is winter in the story. It helps understanding what's going on. I didn't revise this so, I'm sorry for my spelling errors.**  
**xMelodyx, Thank you for taking the time to read my whole story in one sitting. I hope all goes well for your story!**  
**BluezebraAFHS, I'm glad I met your expectations! I was so worried! Phew. I'm happy my story put a smile on your face. It gives me so much happiness hearing that. I'm even more glad my story put you in a better mood!**  
**As always, to all my followers, you are sweethearts! Enjoy!)**

The first thing that Al noticed when he woke up is that he had no recollection of the events that took place the night before. The second thing he noticed was how cold it was in his room. He felt goosebumps spread all throughout his body and his body slightly shook. The window to his room was closed and he had three blankets over his body. But even that wasn't enough to stop the cold from seeping from underneath.

Or maybe it was the fact that he was sleeping on the floor instead of his bed. Al sat up slowly, his back stiff from sleeping on the hard surface. He stretched and a yawn crossed his face. He looked down at his legs to see Nikko snuggled on top of his legs. He smiled and rubbed the cats head. Nikko purred from underneath Al's touch.

Al could feel his memories of last night resurfacing. After Winry's and Ed's smart choice of throwing bubbles in the kitchen, Granny made all three of them clean the kitchen. It took them almost the entire night thanks to Ed's bickering and Winry's inability to help clean. They kept arguing and in the end, only Al was the one who actually cleaned up. He was so tired afterwards, he was surprised he had any energy to reach his room. And that's when he remembers falling to the ground in exhaustion and grabbing his blankets from the bed before he totally blacked out.

Sighing, he moved Nikko to his bed and placed the blankets back on the bed as well. Another yawned appeared on his face. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the kitchen.

Until he found Ed and Winry snuggled together on the couch. He could feel his mischievous grin forming on his face. He snickered and carefully crept closer to them. Winry slept on top of Ed's arm using it as a pillow. Her face leaned close to Ed's chest and Ed had his arm draped over her waist. Al didn't want to disturb them.

"MORNING!" Al bellowed. Well, _almost_. Winry yelped and sat straight up. Ed's eyes popped open and the first thing he did was push Winry off the couch.

"OWW!" Winry said. Al stifled his laugh and placed his hand over his mouth.

"How'd you two sleep?" Al said, wiggling his eyebrows at them. Winry and Ed frowned at Al but they didn't meet each others eyes.

"Just fine. How'd you sleep?" Winry said through gritted teeth. Ed helped Winry up and they sat on the couch, looking up at Al.

"Perfect. Only, I didn't reach my bed at all last night because _some _people knew didn't even bother to help me clean _their_ mess." Al said to them.

"Alright, alright. Let's just take a breather. It's not even noon yet and already we're starting this. How about we start with breakfast and then we can continue this later?" Ed said, stretching his arms. Winry and Al rolled their eyes and made their way to the kitchen. Upon passing the window, Al noticed that it was white outside. _Why is it white outside? Wait. Freezing cold temperatures? Winter? And it's white outside? That can only mean…_

Al ran to the front door and swung the door wide open. He was met with a blast of cold air and a white blanket of snow.

"It's...it's...snowing!" Al yelled with excitement. His bare feet took him across the front porch. He plopped down face first into the snow.

"It's cold!" he yelled, standing up quickly. He ran back inside the house, snow falling down the front of his long sleeved shirt. Winry and Ed hurried to the doorway where their eyes were met with snow.

"It's snowing?" Winry asked. Ed shook his head.

"As you can see, dear Winry, it is not snowing for there is not a trace of snow falling. BUT it was snowing most likely earlier this morning." he said, sarcasm practically seeping with each word. Winry rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, shut up." she walked back inside. Al shook off the snow on his shirt and met Winry's eyes. She knew what those eyes were saying.

"_After_ breakfast." Al sighed and dragged his feet into the kitchen. Ed closed the door and met up with Al and Winry in the kitchen.

"So, what's for breakfast?" he asked. Al sighed louder this time. Ed looked at his younger brother. He had a cowlick in the back of his head, most likely from sleeping on the floor.

"You okay, Al?" he asked. Winry shook her head slightly at Ed. _Sh, don't ask! _

"I wanted to go outside and you know, play in the snow." Al said, ending his sentence with another louder and longer sigh.

"You will. But we gotta eat first." Ed told his little brother.

"Go ahead, Alphonse. But first you have to change into something warmer." Granny said as she walked into the kitchen. Winry looked like she was going to object but Granny shook her head at her. Al smiled brightly and ran into his room to change.

"Granny, I don't want to be mean, but don't you think we should make him eat first?" Winry asked.

"We'll make breakfast while he plays outside." she answered. Winry still looked confused.

"Granny, you make it seem like he has never played with snow before. Besides, I remember it snowing at Fort Briggs and he was there with me." Ed interjected.

"You both are really against him playing the snow, aren't you?" Granny said.

"I changed!" Al said, coming out in a jacket, thick pants, mittens, a scarf, and a woolen hat for good measure.

"Take Den with you, Al. She hasn't used the restroom yet." Al nodded and called for Den. She trotted happily toward him and together, they ran outside. All three of them could hear Al whooping and hollering in the white blanket of snow.

"Anyways, I understand why you both feel this way. I imagine that you both are excited to see snow but you aren't the same level as Al, are you?" Granny asked. Winry and Ed shook their head. Granny took her pipe out of her apron pocket and lit it. She inhaled and blew the smoke out of her mouth.

"Let me ask you something, Ed. I've heard your tale at Fort Briggs. If I recall correctly, not once did I hear you do something fun there. It was all serious business. Not only that, Al wasn't in his original body." Ed stared at Granny, unsure of what to say.

"My point is, although Al was there mentally, his body was not. He can finally feel snow after so many years. I think we can spoil him in the richness of the human body, hmm?" Granny winked at them and made her way to grab eggs to start breakfast. Ed and Winry shared a look.

"You know, we both had to grow up quickly." Ed said quietly to Winry. Winry studied his face, trying to see where this would end up.

"We never had time for fun. But now, after everything, I forget that I'm still not an adult yet. I feel like I have to act like an adult and because of that, I place that mindset on Al too. But Al," Ed stopped to look outside the window where Al lay in the snow.

"he's still a kid." Ed looked back at Winry, his eyes softening.

"It's a good thing Granny's here. Otherwise, I'm sure I never would have thought about going outside." Ed's mouth broke into a huge grin. He raced into his room, leaving Winry there. She sighed, but she did so whilst smiling. She understood exactly how Ed felt. Independance. Since they were little, all three of them had gotten something that most teenagers don't fully understand until they're practically adults and on their own. But Granny was trying to tell them that it's okay to be spoiled. They still had time before they were adults yet. Winry went to her grandmother about to ask her to let her go outside as well before her grandmother stopped her.

"Go ahead. I'm glad you stiff children loosened up. I'll take care of breakfast." Winry smiled and went into her room to change. Winry and Ed ran out of the house wearing their winter clothing. Their laughter ringed into the house. Granny chuckled. Her eyes wandered to the picture of her son and his wife sitting on the table.

"She's so much like the both of you." she said to the picture, still chuckling.

LINE BREAK YO

After a good hearty breakfast, the three of them ran back outside to play in the snow. Granny said she had to finish some automail that she had begun the night before. So she stayed inside. Den didn't seem to mind the snow and joined the golden trio outside. Nikko, well, he also enjoyed the snow by laying near the window and watching all of them outside.

"Well, we got the rest of the morning and the afternoon to play in the snow. What should we do first?" Al asked, his eyes glistening with excitement. Ed rubbed his chin, making it look like he was thinking. Winry on the other hand, had slowly gotten closer to Ed. When Ed finally noticed, Winry threw the snowball she had hidden behind her back at him. It landed square on his face. Ed's mouth hung open and Winry had to desperately grasp her sides to not laugh. She placed her hands over her mouth just in time before Al's snowball landed on her hands. She looked over at Al, who smirked.

"My brother has avenged me! Elric brothers, unite!" Ed ran over to his brother but was met with a snowball on his face...again.

"You...you have betrayed me." Ed said, wiping the snow off his face. Al just shrugged his shoulders.

"Every man for himself?" Al asked. Winry glared at him.

"Sorry. Every man or _woman_ for himself or _herself_." Al said, correcting himself. They all stood quiet for a few moments before they all yelled out the same thing at the same time.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" They bent down to the ground to pick up a handful of snow. Ed and WInry threw there snowballs at Al and Al only had one, which meant he could only throw it to one person.

"Hey! No teaming up!" he yelled out. Ed cackled evilly.

"Two brother's in a battle against each other. One has an ally, the other doesn't. Who will win?" Ed said, pretending to be an announcer. Al kneeled down and drew a transmutation circle. He placed his hands over it and transmutated a snow cannon.

"Now, one has a weapon. Who will win?" Al said in the same voice that Ed used. Ed just laughed. He kept throwing the snowballs Winry was making.

"You know, helping would be good too." Winry huffed at him.

"No time, ally! We must win!" Ed yelled.

"Fire!" Al placed his hand over the cannon and a huge snowball fired out. It hit Ed and he was sent flying. He lay in the snow. He pretended he was wounded.

"A-avenge me." he croaked to Winry. Winry, however, raised her hands in surrender.

"You gave up already?!" Ed yelled, slamming his fist into the snow.

"Hey, he sent you flying. You really think I want to be thrown that far?" she said. Ed rolled his eyes. Al cheered.

"And so ends the battle of the brothers." Ed said in his announcer voice. Winry and Al laughed. Ed laughed as he got up. Or, at least tried to get up. When he tried to move his automail leg, it didn't even budge. He tried to wiggle the small metal toes, but even that didn't move.  
"What the…" Ed pulled his leg toward him. He undid the laces to his boot and took it off. When he raise his leg with his hands, the leg came right off. Winry cried out.

"Ed! What the hell did you do to my automail?" Ed rolled his eyes.

'Of course the first thing you thought about was the automail." he whispered underneath his breath. Winry ran up to him and pulled the leg out of his hand.

"Ed...when's the last time you oiled your leg?" Ed looked away from Winry. Winry placed both of her hands over her head.

"Dammit, Ed! Why don't you ever think?" she yelled.

"It's not my fault! You're my automail girlfriend! Why didn't you remind me?" he yelled back.

"Well, I assumed you would have been doing that in the first place!" She countered back at him.

"I'm an idiot! Of course I wouldn't be doing that! I didn't remember doing that when I was away with Al. He was the one who had to remind me!" he yelled.

"Argh!" Winry yelled in annoyance. Al walked over to Ed and helped him up.

"It doesn't matter how this argument ends. Winry's the one who's going to have to fix your automail, brother." Ed sighed and nodded in agreement. With the help of Al, Ed hopped back into the house and into Winry's workshop. He laid down on the small bed and waited for Winry. Al said he was going to change into clothes since they would most likely not go outside again. Alone in the room, Ed recalled what he called Winry. He blushed a crimson red. He's thought about the word before but he's never actually said it out loud. Ed slipped out his clothes (he left his black tank on because it would have been awkward) and waited for Winry. He placed his hands over his face. _Oh, please don't let her remember what I called her._

Winry walked in, already changed into her work clothes. She slammed the chair next to Ed and Ed flinched. She sat down and sighed.

"You talk about being an adult, but you're still a kid too." she smiled when she said it. Ed knew he had been forgiven. Winry grabbed her tools from the rolling table and placed it next to her. She began to work on his leg immediately. While she did, Winry got the courage to ask.

"So are we really…" Ed looked at Winry. Her face was slightly pink.

"You know...boyfriend and girlfriend?" Ed could feel his face warm up again.

"Well, uh, I thinks so?" Ed said. Winry stared at Ed.

"You say I'm still a kid, Winry. But with you, I feel much older. I want to take you out on dates and h-hold your hand and k-k-k-k-kiss you." At this point, it was a competition to see who could turn the reddest. Ed was winning.

"You can call me your boyfriend, Winry. But to me, you're much closer than that. More than a friend or a girlfriend. You mean a lot. And I hope you feel the same way." Ed won the competition, steam practically coming out his ear. Winry nodded and smiled. She slowly leaned closer to his face. Ed closed his eyes and leaned forward to meet Winry's lips. They were cold and soft and tasted like the snow outside. His heart hammered in his chest and he placed his hand over her neck to deepen the kiss.

"So, this is the part where you guys kiss and make up, huh?" Al said from the doorway. Winry pulled away and Ed looked at his little brother, his lips still puckered.

"By the way, I've always been rooting for the both of you since day one." Al walked out of the room. Winry just sighed and chuckled.

"I'm still waiting for that date, Ed." she said, getting back to working on his leg. Ed placed head back and smiled.

"Don't worry. We'll go out real soon."

**(A/N: SO! How was that? Here's the deal. If five people review, I'll update the very next day after the fifth review. Even if you review an idea that what you want me to write, what you feel needs to improve, of if you just wanted to talk about any of the other chapter's, it counts. Same goes for more followers!)**


	18. Chapter 18

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here! I did not expect so many reviews so quickly. But as promised, you reached the fifth review and therefore deserve the update. I skimmed for any spelling mistakes but if you catch one I didn't, I apologize.**  
**BluezebraAFHS, I really want to incorporate EVERYONE from FMAB into this story. So, yes Team Mustang and everyone you can think of will be either mentioned or will appear in this story. Your review gave me an idea and thus the beginning of it was born here. Don't worry. You'll see the Major and his sparkles soon. **  
**fullmetalpassion, Ed will definitely get Al back. But that time has not come yet. And yes, Mei will show up as well.**  
**Namindu, your reviews always encourage me whenever I begin to doubt myself. It means a lot to me. So, thank you. AND because you asked, i shall see to it that I finish the story until the end. **  
**Flygrrl, Oh! Thank you for reminding me! You mentioned that Al didn't need transmutation circle. I spoke of my theory about that in chapter 13. Hopefully, that clarifies it enough. If anyone else was confused, you can refer back to chapter thirteen.**  
**Yveltal45, writing it was just as much fun as reading it. Trust me.**  
**My wonderful followers, you are incredible and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for following my story. Enjoy!)**

The wind howled harshly against the house, making it groan and creak every so often. The snow had finally started to fall lightly but was being roughly pushed to the side due to the wind. Cold air tried to seep through into the house but was instantly beaten away by the warmth of a fire. Near the warmth of that fire was Al and Winry, sprawled on top of mountains of blankets.

"You finally finished brother's automail?" Al asked. Winry nodded. She yawned, despite it being only the late afternoon.

"It took a lot longer because Ed could not stop reciting the periodic table the WHOLE entire time. It was annoying me. He's an alchemic idiot." she said with a sigh.

"But he's your alchemic idiot." Al retorted. Winry grabbed her mug of chocolate milk besides Al. Al grabbed his and they sat up.

"I shall drink to that." They clinked their mugs together and took a small careful sip since the rich dark chocolate was steaming. They heard Ed coming down stairs and he made his way to the living room. His hair was wet and hung on his back. He was wearing a red long sleeve shirt and his pajama bottoms.

"So, what are we drinking to?" he asked, grabbing a cup to serve himself some coffee instead.

"An alchemic idiot." Al and Winry said at the same time, sharing a look. Ed looked at them suspiciously but shook it off. He looked around and noticed Granny wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Is Granny still working on that automail piece she told us about?" he asked them. Winry shook her head, looking up at Ed.

"She said she had somewhere to go. It was important." Winry told him. He hummed in wonderment.

"She went out now? It's getting really dark and chilly." he said, taking a sip of his bitter coffee. Al looked at him in disgust.

"How can you drink coffee?" Al asked. Ed took another sip and motioned to Al's cup of chocolate with his cup of coffee.

"How can you drink milk?" Ed challenged. Winry raised her hands.

"Alright. That's enough now. Ed, come over here. I have to take a look at your automail." Ed shook his head.

"T-that's alright. It's feels f-fine to me." he stuttered, a light shade of pink appearing before his face. Winry smiled at him.

"Stop acting all bashful, Ed. I have to check your automail." she said, grabbing a wrench form underneath the blankets.

"Oh, it's been a while since I've seen that pointed toward me. Ahhh, takes me back to those nostalgic days." Ed said, looking up at the ceiling like an old man recollecting his youthful years.

"Would you like to feel these nostalgic days once more?" Winry threatened.

"No, it's fine." Ed said quickly, rushing to Winry. She sighed and raised the bottom of the pajama leg over his knee. She studied the automail carefully, looking at each part with caution. Ed stiffened and felt awkward. Al gave his brother a look and Ed rolled his eyes.

"Well, everything looks good. You may leave." she said. He bowed at her.

"Thank you, your majesty." she stuck her tongue out at him but Ed only laughed. Al stood up, grabbing his cup of chocolate.

"Well, looks like I have to get started on dinner." he said, making his way to the kitchen. Ed stretched his arm, the one that was holding the cup.

"I have to go clean my room. I made a huge mess looking for this shirt." Ed told them.

"Why?" Winry asked, her curiosity slightly piqued.

"Oh? You don't recognize it? You gave it to me for my birthday but I never wore because it was too big." he said. Winry looked down at his shirt and recognized it. She smirked.

"Yeah, I remember. But that was a joke to make fun of your smallness." she said. He raised his arms and smiled.

"Looks like the jokes on you. I grew and it fits me." he said, winking at her. He walked away to leave Winry all alone.

"I have to take a bath." she said to her heart, which was galloping inside her chest.

LINE BREAK YO

When Ed came down from cleaning his room, he wasn't sure what to look at. He could have looked at a) Al's failure at making dinner. It seems he forgot about it on the stove and it burnt. b)Winry's huge black shirt which was actually his. Her hair was over her shoulder and he had to admit, she looked really good like that. or c) the baby who was currently sitting in his chair. He chose the latter of those three.

"Um, am I hallucinating a baby sitting in my chair or…" Ed asked. The baby looked up at him. Her midnight black hair shone brightly and her copper skin was most likely as smooth as it looked. Granny threw her head back and laughed.

"Your face is golden, Edward." she said, wiping a tear from her hair. Ed's jaw dropped.

"Granny! Is this your baby?" he asked. Granny slammed her fist on the table.

"What kind of women do you take me for? A young one?" she said. The baby cooed and had trouble balancing on the chair. She moved slightly to the left and was about to fall before Ed caught her. He held her from underneath her arms. She smiled at Ed with her toothless gums.

"So, the baby?" he asked, trying his hardest to hold her correctly.

"Huh? Oh, yes. A couple who moved to Resembool a few months ago asked me to take care of their child for about a week while they headed to Central." Granny explained. Ed sat down on the chair and rested the baby on his leg.

"And they couldn't take her because…?" he asked, stretching the last word for emphasis.

"Because it was under military business. They were both called by the Fuhrer under the command of General Mustang." she further explained.

"That bast-"

"AHEM." Winry said, looking at the baby. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Not like she's going to know what I'm going to say." he said.

"Doesn't matter. No foul language." she said, annoyed.

"Anyway, I need the three of you taking care of her while I make my way to Rush Valley tonight." They all looked at her in surprise.

"Rush Valley? For what?" Ed asked.

"Some automail parts I requested. Apparently, they misheard me and the don't want to give me the correct parts I asked for. I have to get there by tomorrow morning so I can give them a piece of my mind. Hopefully it won't be snowing so hard over here that I can't take the train back in time." she said. Ed groaned.

"Really? I don't want to take care of her." he looked down at her. She gave another smile at Ed. Her small hand reached out to Ed's golden hair. She grasped it in her hand and decided she didn't want to let go.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with her." Winry said to Ed. But she had to admit, it was cute seeing the little baby attached to Ed.

"Granny, do the parents happen to be Ishvalan?" Al asked. Granny nodded.

"Only the mother. That's why she's dark skinner and her hair is black. Her father, however, is from Amestris and is a lot lighter. That's also why her eyes are a light shade of green." All three of them looked at the young child of two different ethnic background.

"That explains why General Mustang asked her parents to go to Central." Al said.

"Are we just going to have to keep on calling her 'her' or are you going to tell us her name?" Ed asked.

"They left it on her baby bag. Just look for it there. Now, don't bother me. I have to leave." she said.

"What about dinner?" Al asked them. Everyone quickly stood up from the table and Al sighed.

**(A/N: SO! How was that? Not expecting that, were you? I fully realize that this is a very short chapter but it's short for a reason. The next chapter will defiantly be longer. As you can see, I left the child's name ambiguous. I wouldn't mind hearing a few suggestions from you guys. I will update soon if I get...ten reviews? Suggestion for the baby's name DOES count. Or maybe leaving a review about the chapter, what I could improve on, or an idea you'd rather read than write yourself. Thanks a bundle!)**

**(A/N2: Anyone considering in reading another one of my Royai one-shots? So I can publish the one I have.)**


	19. Chapter 19

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-sen1124, here! I apologize for not updating sooner. There was some personal problems I had to handle and I had no time to update. Thank you for the few reviews. I figured asking for ten was too much. Each one means a lot to me, though. I also have a lot of followers as well. I honestly didn't think I was going to continue this story after the second chapter but now I'm almost at the twentieth chapter! Thank you for every review and for every follower, new or old. **  
**BluezebraAFHS, I'm sorry I didn't update sooner than usual. I must have kept you waiting. But I have updated! And, keep a look out in the chapter for something! Thanks for your reviews!**  
**Namindu, all I can say is your wish has been granted.**  
**Rebmander, they do. I agree with you. But not yet. Although, this chapter does get fluffy in the end. Don't worry. They'll definitely go out on that date!**  
**To the guest, I don't know why but I really liked the name. So, thank you for your suggestion! I do hope you follow the story or review so I know who I'm thanking!**  
**ChibiDialga, as for your review on chapter 12, you are totally correct. I was wondering when someone was going to pick up on that. Like I said, it was a spin-off. So it wasn't meant to be exact at all. Thanks for your review!**  
**To all my followers and people who have favorited this story...you guys are freaking awesome. Enjoy!)**

"How the heck do we go from playing out in the snow this morning to taking care of a baby?" Ed asked in utter confusion. Al shrugged like what was happening was a normal thing. Ed looked back down at the little girl in his arms. She was playing with his golden hair, her face transfixed. Whenever she looked into Ed's eyes, she gave a bright smile and giggled. But Ed had to admit, she was cute. He felt like giggling with her.

"Anyway, I have to use the bathroom. Can you hold her for me?" Ed asked, handing her to Al.

"Ann!" Winry yelled. The baby cooed and she looked around for the person who had said that. Winry walked in, holding a letter. Ed did his best to ignore the fact that Winry was _still_ wearing his shirt (obviously, she was wearing sweats underneath). She handed it to Ed. He opened it and read the letter.

"Pinako, thank you for offering to take care of our little Ann. She's not old enough to walk but she can crawl around the house, so it isn't necessary to carry her. She can't eat whole meals but she can eat the small snacks we have left for her in the baby bag. Everything else you need to know to take care of a baby is just common sense. Thank you so much for your help, Pinako! We'll be back in a week or so!" he finished reading it. They all looked at each other.

"I think we should leave Ann to Winry." Al said, as he handed her to Winry. Ann looked at Winry's blonde hair and took it in her hands. But instead of grasping it like she did with Ed's hair, she let go of it and looked for Ed.

"Why do I have to take care of her? Not that I don't mind, but isn't that sexist?" Winry said, trying to hold Ann in a more comfortable position.

"No, it's not that. We just lack the common sense to take care of a baby." Ed said and Al nodded. Winry sighed.

"You're going to have to learn then." Ann kept struggling in Winry's arms. Winry just decided to place her on the floor. Ann quickly crawled over to Ed. She grabbed Ed's automail leg and wrapped her arms around it. Ed stood there awkwardly, looking at Winry and Al. Winry gave him a smug look.

"So, it looks like she has chosen." Winry said, placing her arm on Al's shoulder. Al decided to play along.

"Well, we mustn't defy her. We all know, even those of us without common sense, that if we should go against what Ann wants, all hell will break loose." Al said, lowering his voice on the last word for effect. Ed sighed, bending down to pick up Ann.

"Why me?" Ed said to Ann. Ann just replied with a smile that would make even the baddest criminal's heart just melt. Ed walked over to the living room that was piled up with blankets. He carefully set her down. He slowly backed away and Ann immediately got on all fours and crawled to Ed. He waited for her to reach him to pick her up. Al and Winry, watching the entire thing, looked at him as if he had just said something stupid. Ed looked over at them.

"What?" he asked defensively, placing Ann back on the piles of blankets.

"What are you doing?" Al asked.

"Trying to get her tired so she won't follow me." Ed replied, backing away from Ann again. Ann crawled back to Ed and Ed picked her up. Al's palm connected to his forehead and Winry gave a loud sigh.

"You never cease to amaze me, Ed." Winry said. He looked at them in confusion.

"Anyway, time for bed." Al said, making his way to his room. They all said goodnight and went to their separate rooms.

LINE BREAK YO (BluezebraAFHS, this is your very own personal line break.)

Winry opened her eyes slightly. The window beside her bed was covered entirely of frost from the outside. From what she could tell, it was still snowing but not as bad as the night before. _The night before? _Winry suddenly remembered the sudden surprise Granny had brought home. She fought with the blankets on top of her as she struggled to get out of bed. Finally, free from all the warmth and softness, she stood up. She raised her arms over her head, stretching her back. She looked down and noticed that she was wearing Ed's shirt. She deflated back onto her bed, covering her face. Without a second thought, Winry had taken Ed's clean shirt from his room and had put it on after her bath yesterday. It was a hell of a bold move. But Winry couldn't help herself. It was fun getting Ed all flustered. She had noticed he didn't say anything to her, but she did catch him looking a little bit longer than usual. Winry giggled into her hands. She exhaled loudly, trying to relax her heart. She stood up again, and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she was done, she carefully tip-toed into Ed's room to see if Ann was still with him. But she noticed that he wasn't even in his room. Winry frowned in confusion and walked downstairs. _Maybe he's still trying to get her tired with that stupid idea of his _she thought. Winry saw Ed sleeping on the blankets. She quielty got closer to him. What she saw almost made her squeal. If she was a man, she would have punched a wall to regain the manliness she would have lost. Ed was sleeping with Ann. Ann's head was resting on Ed's arm and his face looked the softest it ever could. He looked so relaxed and peaceful. Winry couldn't help but imagine if he would look like this when they had kids. _Wait, what?! _Winry felt her entire face burning up. Everyone knew that a baby doesn't just randomly appear. You have to...you have to…

"Morning, Winry." Ed said. She gasped. Winry didn't even notice that Ed had woken up and was looking at her.

"Hey, are you okay? You're really red." Ed said to her. She nodded slowly, her face still as red as it could possibly go. Next to Ed, Ann began to stir. He looked back at Ann. Ann opened her eyes. Then, she began to cry.

"No, please. Not again." Ed pleaded, sitting up. He rocked Ann in his arms.

"Winry, can you check to see if there's food for her in her bag?" Ed asked. Winry didn't bother to reply. She just walked over to Ann's baby bag. She went through the bag, hoping to find the snacks or baby formula. She found the small snacks but she knew what Ann needed was milk. Which there wasn't any of. _Crap._

"Umm, Ed. There isn't any food." Ed quickly turned around to face Winry.

"What do you mean there isn't any food?" he said.

"It means there's no food for Ann. I think her parent's might have forgotten to pack that in her baby bag." she said, looking through the bag again.

"Looks like we're going to have to feed her the snacks then." Ed said, still rocking Ann.

"For now. We have to go out to buy milk for her." Winry told him. He tilted his head.

"But we have milk here." She sighed.

"You're right. You have no common sense _at all." _she said. He stood up and carried Ann over to Winry. She sat down at the kitchen table, holding Ann.

"Want me to make breakfast?" Ed asked. She nodded. Ed made coffee and some toast while Winry fed Ann the small snacks. Ed looked over at Winry. She was making baby noises at Ann, trying to get her to laugh. Ann stopped crying and looked at Winry. She grabbed Winry's hair again and this time, she didn't let go. Winry's face lit up.

"Look, Ed! I think she finally likes me!" Winry said. Ann cooed and Winry smiled. She took a strand of Ann's hair and played with it. Ann leaned her head back into Winry's hand. Ed could feel it. It was his manliness slipping away. What he was witnessing had to be the cutest thing he had ever seen.

"Ed, can you take her? I'm going to go change so we can leave. Oh! And can you please change Ann into some warmer clothes as well?" she asked. Ed set their breakfast on the table and walked over to Winry to grab Ann.

"Wait. We're not going to leave Ann here?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No. I feel like if we leave Ann here with Al, he wouldn't know what do when she starts crying." she admitted. He nodded in agreement.

"You know, Ann's parent's didn't leave us a baby carriage." Ed said. Winry smiled.

"No, but they left something even better than that." Winry pulled out a baby carrier from inside the bag.

"Don't tell me…" Ed said. She smiled evilly.

"Try not to wear a really thick jacket." she told him. He looked down at Ann. She grinned at him with her toothless gums.

LINE BREAK NUMERO DOS YO

After breakfast, Ed and Winry set out to get Ann _her _breakfast. As expected, Ed was the one carrying her inside the baby carrier which was wrapped around him. Luckily for Ed and Winry, Ann's parents had left them a small coat for Ann, a pair of winter gloves, and a small beanie. Winry had found a small scarf for her and after changing, she was set to go. Ed and Winry's wardrobe were almost the same, except she wasn't wearing gloves. Which was a horrible decision, really. As soon as she stepped outside, her hands were beginning to numb. She placed them inside her pockets but the pockets weren't deep enough.

"Dammit." she whispered. Ed shushed her, covering Ann's ears.

"No foul language, remember?" Ed told her. She imitated him and stuck her tongue. Afterwards, all that could be heard was the sound of their shoes crunching the snow beneath them. The snowing had stopped and everything was quiet. It wasn't an eerie quiet, just peaceful. Their breaths could be seen in the air. Ed noticed that Winry's nose was a bit pink from the cold. He also notice she wasn't wearing any gloves either.

"Did you forget that it's really cold outside or were you trying to freeze off your hands?" Ed said sarcastically. Winry narrowed her eyes at him.

"I obviously just wanted to freeze my hands off, Ed." she said, annoyed. He chucked.

"Do you want my mittens?" he asked. She shook her head. He shrugged at her.

"Alright. But if want them, you can ask for them, okay?" he told her. She just nodded, sticking her hands in the smallest pockets in the world . After a while, Ed started to get annoyed. He held out his hand to Winry. She looked at it, then looked back at Ed.

"What, did you catch a bug or something?" she said. He rolled his hands. _And I'm the one without common sense. _

He took her hand in his. Winry looked down at where their hands connected. She looked away. For a second, Ed thought maybe it wasn't a good idea anymore. But then Winry squeezed his hands with hers. He took as an _this is okay _and didn't let go of her. Ann giggled in the baby carrier. She clapped happily, making loud noises to show her joy. Up ahead, they saw the mailman.

"Good morning." he greeted.

"Good morning." Winry said to him.

"Morning. Do you have anything for the Rockbell's or for the Elric's?" Ed asked. The mailman looked inside his bag.

"Nothing for Rockbell but I do have a letter for an Alphonse Elric." he said.

"Al's my little brother. I don't mind taking the letter. That way you don't have to walk all the way to our house." Ed offered. The mailman smiled at him.

"Thank you." he gave the letter to Ed.

"By the way, if I may say, you are probably the cutest family I have ever seen." the mailman told them as he walked away. Winry and Ed just stared wide-eyed at each other. Looking at it now, they did look like a family. Although, Ann looked nothing like them, their aura just gave off _couple with a baby._ Even though 1) the baby wasn't theirs 2) They were a couple but they hadn't even gone out to one single date, let alone actually sleeping together and 3) Ed was holding Winry's hand because she wasn't wearing any mittens (Although, that wasn't his true intention.)

"You remember the game we used to play as kids, Winry?" Ed asked, who had begun to walk again. They still hadn't let go of each other's hand

"Which one out of all of them?" she asked. Ann let out a laugh and kicked her legs. Ed smiled at her and looked back at Winry.

"The game House?" he clarified.

"Ohh! Yeah, I remember! I was the mom, Al was the dad, and you were the son." she said.

"That was only because I was short." he said. She laughed.

"Anyway, my point is, let's just pretend we're playing the game again. It won't make everything so awkward." he told her. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"What's your real motive in this?" she asked suspiciously. He gave an unexpected toothy grin.

"I just don't want to let go of your hand.' he admitted. Winry tried her hardest to not blush. When did Ed start turning into such a...such a _romantic_?

"Fine. Only because you actually made my heart skip a beat for a second there." she said. He pulled her closer to him. Ann smiled as she saw small snowflakes slowly twirl and spin onto the ground.

**(A/N: So! How was it? Let me know! Got an idea you'd rather read than write? Let me know as a review or PM me! Think I need to improve? Review about it. Every review means a lot! Thanks a bunch!)**


	20. Chapter 20

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here. So poop. I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner. I'll try not make a habit of doing that. I gained quite a bit of followers and I'm so happy. Thank you so much. You guys are the greatest! **  
**BluezebraAFHS, I was actually worried people wouldn't like my cheesy, romantic Ed. It's good to know you guys actually do. I look forward to more of your reviews and thank you for all the ones you have already written for this story!**  
**Namindu, thank you for the review. Still working on the problems. But thanks also for your comment about it. It made me happy.**  
**Rebmander, that's what I'm aiming for. So ,this story will most likely have A LOT of chapters. I'm hoping you guys are okay with that. **  
**KonohaKame01, yo! Thank you so much for the name! And for the review as well.**  
**Lolcatz, best fanfic? Nah, man. But I'm so happy for the compliment. It means a lot to me. Trust me, you have no idea how happy it made me. And about the romance? Trust, my dear. More shall appear.**  
**I've said it multiple times but I'll say it again: For those of you following and who favorited this story, thanks a bundle! Enjoy!)**

The heart of Resembool was not much. It was simple, had what was needed for others, and the stores were usually family owned. Everyone knew each other and it was most likely that those stores were previously owned by past generations. An example of that was the small general store that was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Fox. Mr. Fox's great grandfather was one of many people who saw Resembool being born. His contribution to Resembool was, in fact, creating the general store where Winry and Ed stood in front of.

Ann cooed and she began to chew on her hand. Ed looked at the general store. He could feel his heart clench a little at the memories of him and Al accompanying their mother to the general store whenever she needed something. Their true intention of going with her was just because whenever they would leave the general store, Trisha would grab two lollipops from her basket and surprise them. It was never a surprise for Ed or Al but they loved seeing the smile on their mother's face when they acted surprised.

"Ed?" Winry asked, squeezing his hand a little. He looked down and blinked a couple of times before he looked at Winry. She gave a reassuring smile.

"Sorry. I, uh, kinda zoned out for a second there." he smiled back at her. Winry slowly opened the door and walked inside, never letting go of Ed's hand.

"Welcome!" a middle aged woman said. Ed looked at her and he instantly knew he had to Mr. and Mrs. Fox's daughter. She was the spitting image of both of them. But at this point, he was just assuming.

"Oh, Winry! How are you? I don't usually see you because your grandmother is usually the one doing the errands." she said.

"Hello, Cass! Granny isn't here in Resembool right now. Anyway, this was sort of an emergency. Do you, by any chance, have baby formula?" Winry pointed at Ann. Cass looked at the baby, then at Edward. She squinted her eyes at him. Then, she widened them.

" I remember you! You're Trisha's son, aren't you?" she asked, smiling. Ed nodded and wasn't sure what to say. He didn't remember her so he couldn't say the same.

"I'm pretty sure you don't remember me. I'm Cass. I'm the daughter of the previous owners." she explained.

"I'm Edward. Nice to meet you." he replied. Cass smiled at him and looked down at the baby.

"I imagine the baby formula is for her...Wait a second. I remember her too! Oh, her poor parent's were rushing the day they left and the forgot the baby formula they bought for her. Hang on, let me go get it. It's in the back." Cass went into the back room, leaving the three of them alone. Ed looked around in the store. Not much had changed, really. Only few decorations had changed but most of it was still the same. He walked over to the corner of the shop to see if the basket of lollipops were still in the same place. Sure enough, they still were. He looked behind him to see if Winry was looking at him. She was too busy looking at something else. Quickly, Ed grabbed two and hid them where Winry couldn't see.

"Hey, Winry? Can you take Ann? I want to pay for the baby formula." he said. Winry looked back at him.

"Sure, but it's already paid for. Why do you want to pay for it again?" she asked, walking over to him. Ed had to stop himself from smacking himself. _Way to go, Ed. _

"Okay, actually, my back kinda hurts from carrying Ann. Can you take her?" he asked. Winry sighed.

"Alright." she took Ann from the baby carrier wrapped around Ed. She helped him take it off and Ed sighed in content.

"Thank you." Winry smiled and walked around, giggling and making baby noises at Ann.

"Ah! Here you are." Cass came back from the back, holding a small cylinder bottle. She slid it over the counter to Ed. Ed looked back at Winry to see if she was looking at Ed. He took the lollipops out of his pocket and put it on the counter. He looked at Cass and she smiled, her eyes a bit glossy. He handed her the money and she grabbed a paper bag for all of the stuff.

"Here you go, dear." he grabbed the bag and smiled at her.

"Thank you, Cass." she handed him the money he had placed on the counter. He tilted his head in confusion.

"Don't worry. It's only two lollipops. It won't hurt the store." she gave him another smile. He figured that she must have remembered the same thing he did. "Thank you again. Bye!" he said, waving at her. He looked outside and found Winry. He walked up to her.

"I can carry her now."he offered.

"Okay." He put on the baby carrier and placed Ann back on there. The snow hadn't stopped falling but it wasn't getting harder, so they both assumed they could make it back in time before the snow let go and got worse.

They headed back to the house. Ed decided at that very moment that it was okay to be cheesy only if it was just them alone. He held out his hand again. Winry took out without hesitation.

"Hey, Ed?" she asked. He looked over at her and her face was slightly red from the cold. Or maybe it was something else.

"Yes?" he replied. Winry gave him a teasing smile.

"I'm still waiting for that date, you know." she said. Ed could feel his face heat up slightly. He had been thinking about that recently but he wasn't sure how to bring it up again. He was so glad she was the one who brought it up again.

"I don't think now is the best time." he said, pointing at Ann. She rolled her eyes. The snow was beginning to fall a bit faster. Ed pulled at her hand and they walked faster as well.

"Obviously, Ed. But I was just thinking about it because...I was just thinking about it." she said, looking at the ground. Her face was red but it wasn't from the cold.

"I want to take you out but Ann''s here. I guess we're going to have to wait until Pinako gets back. Then we'll go out." she pouted. Ed knew she rarely acts like this, so he found it kind of cute. He leaned over quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek but it backfired when she turned to face him. Ed's lips slightly touched Winry's. He pulled away and looked at the ground. They were both quiet until Ed sighed.

"Here I was trying to be smooth but it failed." Winry laughed and looked at him.

"You can never be smooth." Ed frowned at her.

"But, I think that's one the things I admire about you." Winry said to him, smiling. Ed wasn't sure what to do so he just rubbed the back of his and grumbled to himself. That didn't stop the blush from forming on his face.

LINE BREAK YO

When Ed and Winry walked up to the house they found Al sitting on the steps, shivering. He was wearing a huge winter jacket, a blanket over himself, a woolen hat, and a thick pair of mittens.

"Where have you two been? I was worried about you guys." he said, his teeth clattering from shaking so much. He looked at Ed and saw Ann being carried in the baby carrier. He burst out laughing.

"Brother, you looks so funny!" Al said in between breaths.

"Ha ha, very funny. Let's go inside." Ed told him.

"Thank you for worrying about us, Al. Did you already have breakfast?" Winry asked him as they walked inside. Ed walked over to the living room to place Ann on the blankets. He took off her jacket and left it beside her so she had something to entertain herself with. He placed his coat on the chair in the kitchen and put his hat and mittens on the table. Winry and Al walked into the kitchen. Al still hadn't taken off any off the blankets or jackets.

"Alright! I have a surprise for you guys." Ed told them. He grabbed the paper bag, opened it, and took out the two lollipops he bought at the store.

"Ta da!" he said, giving them a huge grin. Al scrunched up his eyebrows together and stared at the lollipop.

"Is that…?" he whispered. Ed nodded. He handed one to Al and one to Winry. Winry smiled genuinely at him. She knew all about Ed and Al's little adventures to the general store and getting lollipops from their mom. The act of kindness she did for them was the same he was trying to imply to Winry and Al.

"Were Mr. or Mrs. Fox there?" Al asked, still looking at the lollipop. Ed shook his head.

"No, but their daughter was. Apparently she remembers me but I don't. I felt kind of bad." he admitted. Al chuckled and Ed looked at him weirdly.

"Sorry, I was just remembering something. Thank you, brother." Al said, still chuckling. Ed grinned at himself. It felt good seeing them happy and him being the one causing them to smile. He rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit bashful.

"Alright, I think we should make Ann's milk now." he said. Winry scoffed.

"What do you mean 'we'? I'm the one whos going to make it anyway." she said, grabbing the paper bag from Ed.

"Then you make it and we observe." he clarified. Al nodded in agreement. They stayed quiet as they watched Winry make the milk for Ann.

"So... were you guys holding hands when you walked up to the house?" Al asked through stifled laughter. Winry's face turned red but Ed, for once, didn't back down.

"Yes. Oh! That reminds me: we got a letter for you, Al. It's from Xing." Ed said in a sing-song voice. Al's eyes widened and his cheeks turned red.

"Who's it from, Al?" Ed asked in the same voice. Al muttered something under his breath. Ed leaned closer to him and Al repeated the same thing.

"Mei." Al turned a beet red but that didn't stop the small smile from appearing on his face. Ed nudged his brother and handed him the letter.

"Oh? What has been sending you, Al? C'mon, don't be shy." Ed kept saying. Al just grumbled to himself and walked away with the letter in his hand.

"Score one for the big brother." Ed said. Winry sighed.

"And maybe ten for the younger." she told him.

(A/N: Okay, so not my best work. I'll admit it. However, I'll make the next chapter better. Oh! And mentioning the date thing? I was foreshadowing something. Can I get some reviews? Any review whether it be if it needs more improvements or you have an idea or anything else! You can also PM me. Thank you!)

**(A/N2: Still here? So, I'm promoting my tumblr. Follow me, dearies, as I post about Ed's adventures and other stuff. _a-simple-human-without-alchemy)_**


	21. Chapter 21

**(A/N: Yo! Chibi-sen1124, here. So you know what rhymes with Chibi-Sen-1124? No? How about "Chibi, you lied about updating earlier. You suck." Trust me, it rhymes. I got a lot of follows and it's almost up to fifty! Thanks so much guys.**  
**So! About this chapter. I't's a bit angst/hurt/comfort. Sorry about that. And also, I didn't check for mistakes. I just skimmed through it. So, I'm sorry if you find any. Enjoy!)**

Winry had decided to take care of Ann during the night. Ed was released from his baby duty that night. Or so he thought. As soon as Winry had walked into the room and Ed hadn't followed her, pools of tears began to fall from Ann's eyes. Winry did everything she could to make the her stop crying. She changed her diaper, even though it didn't need to be changed. Winry also fed Ann more milk although Ann didn't even bother to have even a drop of it. She rocked the baby but nothing seemed to work. She even let her hair down for Ann to play with. Winry knew she would have to ask Ed to take Ann. But Winry didn't want to bother Ed again. They had agreed earlier that day that each of them would sleep with Ann and have one day with her until Granny came back from Rush Valley. Yet, Ann sounded like she could last the whole night crying.

Winry laid Ann on her bed and quickly rushed to Ed's room. She knocked furiously until Ed opened the door, putting on his black long sleeve shirt.

"Yes?" he asked through a thick voice. His eyes were slightly open. She knew he was probably on the border of being fully asleep.

"Ed, come in my room." she said to him. His eyes snapped opened and his cheeks were flushed.

"W-wait, I thought you wanted to go out on a date first." he said, hesitantly. If Winry had her wrench with her, she was sure she would have hit him with it. Instead, she just scoffed.

"Ann doesn't want to go to sleep without you. Can you stay until she falls asleep?" she asked. Ed nodded as he tried to stop a yawn from crossing his face. They walked back to Winry's room. Winry climbed onto the bed and sat next to the wall. Ed laid down on the other side of the bed with Ann in the middle. As soon as Ann saw Ed, she stopped crying and huddled close to his side. Ed grinned.

"She's cute, isn't she?" Ed asked. Winry nodded in agreement. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them.  
"You didn't even hesitate to come into my room, did you Ed?" she asked through a crooked smile. Ed shrugged, his eyes closed now.

"You invited me, I agreed. I'm not going to do anything that would make you uncomfortable." he said tiredly but with a smile. Winry blushed slightly.

"Thank you for being so considerate." she said to him. He raised his thumb up at her. His breathing was getting a lot more deeper. She knew he was starting to fall asleep again. But for some weird reason, Winry didn't feel tired anymore. Instead, she felt a bit jittery. It wasn't like the last time both Ed and Winry where on the same bed. That time, Ed had a bad dream and she wanted to comfort him. But now, it was just the two of them and Ann. They could have a normal conversation while being on the same bed. She groaned. She sounded so weird, thinking about things like that.

"Winry, I'm not going to do anything. You can fall asleep." Ed murmured to her. Winry nodded at him even though his eyes were closed.

"Okay. Okay okay. I'll do that." Winry carefully got comfortable, staying as close to the wall she could. The night sky twinkled with million of stars. Not a single cloud was in the sky even though the snow had only recently stopped.

"Hey, Ed?" Winry asked after a couple seconds of silence.

"Hmm?" Ed replied. She gave a small sigh.

"Why aren't you nervous? Is it because Ann's here?" Winry asked. Ed turned his head and opened his eyes to look at her. His golden eyes were still bright in the dark. Ed stared at her until he let out an exhale and laid his head back down

"I am nervous. All of my atoms in my body are buzzing because you're so close." Ed admitted, placing his hand over his eyes. Winry's heart leapt inside her chest.

"Wait, did you just use science to explain how you feel?" Winry asked.

"Technically, all I mentioned was my atoms." Winry sighed but it felt nice to hear him say things like that. Winry finally laid down on her pillow until she felt her earrings digging into her ears.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot to take off my earrings." Winry whispered into the dark night. She got off the bed, and tried to maneuver through her mountains of wrenches and bolts lying on the floor. She got fed up and eventually just turned on the light. Winry took off her earrings and put them in her small box just for them. She smiled at the one with Ed's little wrench inscription he had put on. Yawning, she closed the box and went to turn off the light. But she snuck a quick glance at Ed, who was already sleeping. His shirt had risen and his hand was on his stomach. She chuckled until she saw something on the left side of his waistline. It was a huge scar, red and mean looking. _When the hell did he get that_? _And why haven't I noticed it? _ Winry considered waiting until the morning to ask about it but she thought screw it. She tapped Ed slightly on the shoulder until he woke up. He mumbled something and waved her hand away.

"Ed," she said quietly. He opened his eyes slightly.

"What now, Win?" he asked.

'Why haven't I ever seen that scar on your stomach?" she said. He sat up and looked at her. Her eyes were glossy. _Crap, she's going to start crying_.

"I didn't think you would see it so quickly." he said hopelessly. "Go to sleep. If I'm going to tell you, then I also have to tell Al. This happened when neither of you guys were with me." Winry hesitated for a second but then she nodded at him,

"Alright." she said finally. She climbed back onto the bed but turned to face the wall. Ed gave a small sigh. He didn't know why he'd even think about hiding it from them. They would have eventually found out anyway. The only thing that could be heard in the night was the sound of Ann's breath and Winry's silent tears.

LINE BREAK YO

When Ed woke up in the morning, Ann and Winry we're already gone. He groaned. He was sure Winry already told Al all about his scar. He took his time getting ready for the morning. During that, he kept thinking of different ways to tell them how the scar appeared. He wasn't sure if he should get to straight to the point or if he should sugarcoat it.

In the end, Ed was undecided. He figured he would just ask them how they wanted to hear it. He quietly crept down the stairs and was met with ignorant gazes.

"Morning." he said a little bit overly happy. Al gave him a weak smile but Winry completely ignored him. Ed took his cup of coffee from Al and a piece of toast. They sat down at the table, uncomfortable silence settling over. Ed didn't really understand why Winry was making a big idea out of this.

"Winry, I think you're being a little bit dramatic." Ed said to her. Winry slammed her cup on the table. Ann, sitting on the blankets in the middle of the living room, didn't hear her.

"Ed, that scar looks like it should have killed you. It's way too big for just a scratch and I can bet money that it goes through your body and to the back." she said to him. Al didn't stop Winry but instead she sided with her.

"Brother, we just want to know what happened." he said quietly. Ed sat back in the chair and sighed.

"Do you guys remember the time when we were at Briggs? And General Raven's troops had taken over General Armstrong's wall and Al, I told you to go to Winry and the others to warn them about it which caused us to split up?" he asked. They both nodded, remembering the memory.

"Well, when Al left, it turns out Kimblee saw through the plan we had for him and in the end, I kind of got hurt." Ed told them.

"But how did you get hurt, Ed?" Winry asked.

"Wait, is that why I had suddenly lost consciousness? You were hurt that badly?" Al asked. Ed nodded at Al.

"Ed, tell us how you got hurt. Please." Winry begged. Ed looked at Winry. He desperately didn't want to tell her. She would either cry or get mad at him. Those were the only two choices. He also knew it was too painful for them to hear. but Winry's eyes said that no matter what, she wanted to hear it.

"Okay. There was a huge explosion. I'm not going to tell you all of the details of the fight but we fell down this whole and when I woke up there was this long metal rod sticking out of me." he said. Al gasped while Winry looked down at her plate.

"When were you planning on telling us this, Ed?" Winry said through gritted teeth.

"Never. But I guess that was impossible." he told them. Al put his hands on his face.

"How...how are you alive?" he asked, horror spilling from his voice. Ed looked at his own hands.

"Alchemy. But it took a couple of years from my life." Winry stood up from the table. She looked up but it didn't stop the tears from falling.

"You could have died, Ed. And you weren't planning to tell us." Al said to him.

"But I'm alive, didn't I? Anyway, I had a promise to keep." he looked at Winry and that just made Winry's tears run faster.

"Sorry, I didn't tell you guys. But I was afraid of what you would say." Ed admitted.

"C-can we see?" Winry asked. Ed was going to make a smart remark but decided against it. He stood up and lifted his shirt slightly. Looking at it now, it did look really bad. All the red scratched and scarred skin was terrible. Winry walked over to it and touch the scar slightly with her fingertip. Ed flinched away and Winry looked at him.

"Sorry. Does it still hurt?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Your fingers were just cold." she nodded but didn't put her fingers back on the scar. She looked behind him to see the scar on his back. It was just as rough looking.

"Dummy." she whispered.

"Brother, do you have any more scars you're hiding?" Al asked a bit angrily.

"Tons, but none as bad as this one. Don't worry. This is the only one that was life threatening." he told them. They weren't sure what to say at all. Until Ann began to cry loudly.

"I got it." Ed said, putting his shirt back down. Winry wiped away her tears and sighed.

"Your brother's a huge moron. You both are." she said to Al. Al gave a small shrug.

"I know. But we're here, Winry, It's okay." he assured her. Winry smiled but it looked forced.

**(A/N: So. How was it? Be truthful. I didn't get many reviews so, I didn't respond to them. But I will to respond to them if I get at least five please!)**

**(A/N2: I wrote a small one-shot. It's called Train Ride Back Home. Go check it out!)**


	22. Chapter 22

**(A/N: Chibi, here. I really, really wish I had updated sooner. But I was unable to due to problems. BUT! All of your words of encouragenment have kept me going. I don't what is it with me and these angst chapters. But that's what this one is but not really sad. It's a continuation of the last chapter, so...yeah.**  
**Guest from chapter 20: It' so nice hearing reviews like that! It made me smile so much! Please let me know who you are so I can thank you! **  
**Guest # 1: Aww, shucks. Thank you for your compliments. Your review means a lot, dearie. I wish I knew who I was thanking though. I hope you tell me!**  
**Namindu: I was worried about you! I'm happy you liked both chapters! PM me about the chapters you would like me to write! I was hoping you can help clarify what you meant by the last review! Thanks a bunch for your review!**  
**Guest # 2: I'm glad you read my one-shot! I'm pretty sure I'll be writing more one-shots and I'm even thinking about a modern AU story. But I'm still working on it. I hope you tell me who you are so I know who else to thank!**  
**fmafan: I shall try to update sooner! Thanks for your review!**  
**BluezebraAFHS: Blue, you don't realize how much your reviews mean to me. Thank you for reviewing, dear. And I'm glad you also take the time to read my other one-shots. You are awesome! **  
**ElmoDaHorse: I was just sputtering and blushing at your review. I'm so glad you think my story is awesome. It feels nice hearing people complimenting my story. And yes, the Edwin feels.I get those everyday. Heehee.**  
**To all my followers (I almost have fifty, holy shoot!) Thanks so much! You're all cutie tooties! Enjoy!)**

Ed was resting on his arm as he sat on the table, watching Winry comb Ann's black, soft hair. She had taken the liberty of giving Ann a bath after she had accidently spilled milk all over herself. Afterwards, Winry had changed Ann into a fresh set of clothes and was beginning to unravel her hair. Since Ed didn't have anything better to do at the moment, and he really wanted Winry to talk to him again, he stayed close by her. After the conversation that had taken place earlier that morning, Winry was being cold to him. He knew why but it really bothered him. He was trying his hardest to get her to talk to him but all he got was a few grunts in response. So, he decided he would wait it out.

Ann was holding a small toy in her hand that had been inside her baby bag as well. It was also the color golden, so Ed figured the only reason she was attached to him was because of his hair. (Although, he hoped that isn't true.) Once she was done with Ann's hair, she sat her on the table to fix her shirt. Ed gathered the courage to finally speak up until Al walked in carrying Nikko.

"Hello." he said to the both of them. Winry waved in his direction and Ed greeted him back. Al placed Nikko next to his food bowl and grabbed cat food from the pantry. He did this silently, trying to read the atmosphere between the two. Anyone could easily tell that something must have happened between them. There were other times before in the past when Winry had done this to Ed. It wasn't that she was mad. She was just thinking a whole lot more about the matter than either Ed or Al. But Al knew this. Ed didn't. Ed was most likely thinking that Winry was really mad at him. And he would think like this until he actually decided to confront Winry about it. So, Al decided he should do something about it. But, what? He couldn't just say "Hey, you guys should talk." No, doing that would just make everything a whole lot more worse. But he knew that both of them wouldn't say anything about it until they were both grandparents.

Suddenly, a small idea emerged from the depths of his brain.

"You know, I haven't spent any time with Ann at all. Why don't you let me have her for the night?" he offered, hoping either of them would take the bait.

"I don't trust you." was all that Winry said. But, she had taken the bait, like Al had hoped.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything. Besides, I think Granny is coming tomorrow and I at least want to have one night with her. C'mon." he tried. Winry looked at him, almost suspiciously, then gave up.

"Alright. But what's in it for you?" she asked. He shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Oh, nothing." he said. Winry frowned but relented anyway.

"Hey, Brother? Can I talk to you in the other room for a quick second?" Al asked Ed. Ed, who hadn't said anything at all during the conversation, looked at his brother in surprise.

"Um, yeah. Sure." he stood up from where he sat and followed Al into the other room. Winry's eyes never left the both of them. Once they were as far as away from the kitchen they could possibly go, Al shook his brother excitedly.

"Take her out on a date!" Ed raised an eyebrow. Then he gave a weird laugh.

"Hee, that's funny. You sure are funny, Alphonse." he said to him. Al rolled his eyes.

"I'm being serious here." Al said to him. Ed looked like he wanted to smack his brother upside the head.

"What, do you want me to get hit by her wrench? Can't you see that we're not really talking at the moment?" he whispered harshly so he wouldn't yell. Al waved his hand in annoyance.

"You're the one who can't see, Brother. Winry isn't mad at you. She's just in her own world. And you need to get inside that world with her. She's probably thinking useless thoughts that she shouldn't be burdened with." Al retorted. Ed sighed dramatically.

"But she doesn't want to talk to me, Al." he said, rubbing the temples of his forehead. Al groaned.

"Let's say, brother, Winry has been hiding this secret that could have cost her her own life and suddenly, it's out in the open. How would you feel?" Al asked. Ed thought about it.

"I don't know. I'd probably wonder where the hell I was when she was about to lose her life." Ed said, each word making him realize everything.

"Oh." Ed said faintly. Al raised his hands up in exasperation.

"That's what Winry is thinking probably. And you need to tell her without words that she isn't useless and none of it is her fault." Al said. Ed looked over at the doorway of the kitchen.

"Do you really think she believes she's useless?" Ed asked. Al looked over the same way and stayed quiet.

"No. But that fact that she didn't know about it makes her feel like she isn't important. I slightly felt like that too." Al admitted. Ed looked over at his brother. He sighed.

"Okay. But I highly doubt Winry will say yes. And I really didn't want to take her out for this reason." Ed said to him.

"Then don't make it a date. Just walk around outside until you think it's safe to talk to her about it." Al suggested. Ed nodded and ruffled his little brother's hair.

"Thanks, Al." Ed said to him. Al gave a quick thumbs up while Ed headed to the kitchen. He found Winry still sitting at the table, braiding Ann's hair.

"Hey, Win? Since Al's on baby duty, you think we can talk a walk outside for a while?" Ed asked. He felt his heart race in nervousness and he was sure there beads of sweat on his forehead. Winry looked at him and hesitated. After a while of being silent, she nodded. They grabbed their coats and waved at Al bye.

LINE BREAK YO

Luckily for them, the snow had long since died down but it was still cold and the thick clouds hadn't even so much as parted. They walked silently down the road. _Okay, Al. I got her outside. Now what? _Ed thought to himself hopelessly. Winry stared at the other side of the fields, away from Ed. This was the complete opposite of the other time they went out. It was super awkward and Ed had no idea how to fix it. But he'll do it the Ed way.

"Winry, what are you thinking about?" Ed asked her. She sighed, and she was able to see her breath. Winry looked over at Ed and Ed noticed she wasn't wearing her earrings...except for the one that Ed had changed for her.

"Stuff." was all that she answered. She didn't sound mad at all. But she didn't sound happy either.

"What kind of stuff?" he urged on. Winry stayed silent once more. What surprised Ed so much was that he wasn't at all affected by her silence. Instead, he found it as encouragement to push on and get her to laugh again. Or at least smile.

"Mmm. Things." Winry said after a while. Ed nodded and they kept walking down the road, only slightly covered by white.

"Mmm. I see. " Ed responded. Winry gave a small nod. Ed scratched the back of his head, trying desperately to pick the right words. He felt like anything he could say would actually get Winry mad.

"I'm not mad, Ed." Winry said out of the blue. He looked over at her, surprised. She kept looking ahead but she glanced at him. Ed decided to wait for Winry to continue.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just… thinking. Stuff like, what would have happened if you weren't here today. Both you and Al." she said. He looked up to the grey sky, breathing out a small puff of smoke.

"But we _are_ here." Ed asked, holding his arms up for proof.

"I know. But what if? And what could I do to prevent that from ever happening." she said quietly. It had been so long since Ed had ever heard Winry like this. The last time she sounded so...so _lifeless _was years ago when her parent's had passed away. She kept asking the same questions and she always asked what she could have done to stop them from leaving.

"Something as trivial as a scar can never take me away from the world, Win. I'm way too stubborn for that." Ed said jokingly. Winry sighed but the corners of her lips twitched. They kept walking on the road.

"It wasn't your fault, Winry. You know that?" Winry looked at Ed, her eyes so full of guilt.

"But, if I hadn't suggested to separate-"

"We had to do it." Ed said forcefully, trying to get through her. She stared at him for the longest while until she finally looked away.

"Win, nothing can take me away from you or Al or from Resembool. It may have some memories I'd rather not remember, but it's still my home and I'll always return back here. Anyways, I'm a man who keeps his promises, right?" Ed said, giving her a grin. She smiled back. At that moment, he tripped on something and landed face first onto the cold ground.

"Son of a-" Ed muttered underneath his breath. Suddenly, Winry was laughing so hard, struggling to stand up straight.

"I-I'm sor-ry!" Winry said in between laughs. Ed frowned at her but he noticed that she was laughing again. He got up on his knees, wiping away the snow on his shirt. Suddenly, something caught his eye.

"Whoa." Ed said in awe. Winry controlled her laughter and wiped away her tears.

"What?" she asked. She bent down to look over Ed's shoulder to see a frozen flower in the middle of the snow.

"Wow! That's so cool!" she said. The flower looked like daisy but the ends of the yellow flower where tinted slightly blue.

"It's so beautiful." Winry said. Ed looked over at her and he smiled.

"Yeah, beautiful." he said in agreement although it wasn't about the flower. Winry looked over at him and she blushed at how close they were. Ed looked at her eyes and then looked down at her soft lips. Neither of them moved at all. Ed wasn't sure if now was the best time to kiss her but he really wanted to feel her lips on his again.

"Thanks for making me feel better." Winry whispered. Ed nodded, looking away to hide his pink cheeks. He stood up and faced Winry. Winry looked at him and this time, she stuck out her hand. Ed's chest felt really warm and he beamed at her. He took her life-giving hands and they kept walking down.

**(A/N: SO! How was it? I really wanted them to kiss also but it wasn't the right time. BUT! It's still the afternoon. Who knows what the rest of the day will bring? Review your thoughts and what I should improve on! If all is well, please expect an update VERY soon. And if you have an idea you would rather read than write, let me know. Remember, this takes place two years and maybe even longer. It doesn't necessary have to be about now. PM me or review it! Or maybe even a one-shot about this pairing or any other pairings such as Royai or Almei or LingFan! Let me know!) **


	23. Chapter 23

**(A/N: YO! Chibi, here. My plan to update sooner went down the drain for reasons. But, the show must go on. I love you all, my wonder followers and reviewers. You mean so much to me.)**

All they did was talk. Words flowed around them and they spoke however they wanted. At some points they yelled and screamed, laughter following right after. A couple of times there was some tears as well but it never lasted long. Not a single second went by where one of their mouths weren't moving. It was a sort of dance that they had. At times she would walk ahead to avoid looking at his extremely gentle face, afraid that she would feel her heart clench at the sudden knowledge he had told her. Other times he would be so close to her, maybe even inches apart. But either way, the peace that seemed to have been threatened was once again over them like a very soft blanket.

What they talked about was up to where the conversation went. The first thing that they spoke of was the times both Ed and Al were in danger and he had gotten hurt. He talked about the fifth laboratory, the time he was swallowed whole by Gluttony, all those times Winry had to watch both of them leave, he told her as much as he could. Of course there was some things he held back, afraid that it would be too much for her. But overall, he told her everything. Winry decided to talk about all the people she met at Rush Valley during her stay there. Ed enjoyed watching her face light up at her memories of there. She even used her hands to show what it was she did with people's automail. They kept exchanging back and forth whatever it is they could think of.

As they kept walking, Winry hadn't realized where it was they were headed. It wasn't until mid-sentence that she saw the cemetery from the corner of her eye. Her voice suddenly went soft until it was completely gone. She looked over at Ed, his eyes so straightforward and determined. She wasn't sure why though. He pulled her hand as he walked in front of her. The sound of the thin blanket of snow crunched underneath them. Ed's golden hair swayed side to side and Winry just stared at his ponytail since she wasn't sure what Ed was up to. Ed stopped right where the fence began and looked at the cemetery. It didn't even take him a second for him to glance at the tombstone with his mother's name...and his father's tombstone right beside hers. He stared at it for a couple of seconds, caught up in his own emotions. He dragged his eyes away and looked the other tombstone's he recognized. Winry's parents.

He looked over at Winry who was staring at her parent's tombstones, covered in snow. She tore her eyes away and looked back at him, confused.

"Why are we here, Ed?" she asked, her voice a bit thick. He gave her a grin and pulled her close to his body.

"You'll see." she raised a blonde eyebrow at him and he took a small step forward. Winry had assumed that they would be headed to his parent's spot but instead he went towards her parents. She looked over at him once more, but this time he didn't look back at her. They reached the charcoal grey stones. Winry gave a small smile.

"Hi, mom and dad." she whispered. She heard Ed cleared his throat and he scratched the back of his head, almost as if he looked embarrassed. He took a step forward and kneeled down to face the tombstone of Winry's parents.

"Hi, um, Mr. and Mrs. Rockbell. It's me, Edward. You know, the idiot son of Trisha Elric and Winry's childhood friend." he could feel Winry's eyes on his back, surely full of confusion yet as well as curiosity. He took a deep sigh and continued.

"I know I don't usually come to talk to you guys but, I came here today with your daughter because I needed to let you know something." Ed snuck a glance at Winry and she was smiling, almost as if he was encouraging him.

"I'm sure you know as well as I do how independant Winry has become. Because of that, she has a heck of a personality and she's probably the most kind-hearted person anyone will ever meet. She's strong and she has a really strong arm." At this, Winry chuckled and even Ed had to grin.

"But," Ed stopped and cleared his throat again. He continued. "I feel like it's only right for me to tell you that I want to be beside her. And I want to make her feel treasured. I-I mean, there are going to be times where I'm sure I feel like I'll hurt her, but I'm going to try my hardest to not do that. I want to make her happy, like you guys did. It'll probably a pain in the butt to hear her ramble about her automail but It'll be worth it." He stayed quiet, unsure if he should say anything else. When nothing else came to his mind, he stood up.

"That's pretty much all I wanted to say. I hope you don't mind an idiot like me to be with someone as great as her." he turned to look at Winry. She stared at him, her eyes glossy and she bit her lip, most likely trying her hardest not to cry. Ed's face flamed with embarrassment. Unsure of what to do, he took Winry's hand and led her away from the cemetery. So many questions flew through his head. _Did I screw up? What if I said something wrong? Is she going to get mad?_

After a couple of steps, Winry pulled the bottom of Ed's jacket. He turned around, and was surprised to feel Winry's lips on his. She grabbed the sides of his jacket and tugged down, hard. He could smell the slightest scent of sweet peas and Ed knew for sure he wasn't imagining this. Ed carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. Winry pulled away and placed a kiss on his lips again, but then on his cheek, another on his chin where small golden stubble was growing, multiple on his neck, until she finally looked at him. Ed's heart clenched a little at the amount of emotions that swirled inside her crystal blue eyes.

"Thank you, Ed. Thank you for that. It made me really happy." She wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on hers, smiling.

"You're welcome." he whispered back to her. Ed looked back down at her smiling face and when she met her eyes with his, he caught her lips once more.

Al waved the small toy around, making Ann giggle and shirek happily. He giggled, watching as Ann was entranced by the golden toy. He couldn't help but think about Ed and Winry. He gave a smirk. He knew for a fact they had made up. His reasoning was simple: they still weren't home yet. Even though he loved teasing them, it made him happy to see the both of them i_n love_. His hand unconsciously went to the letter stuffed in his pocket. He still hadn't opened it. It made him a bit embarrassed that Ed had caught him writing letters to Mei. He was pretty sure his face was a as red a it could get when he saw the letter in his brother's hand. But, he couldn't help it. Mei….Mei was different. Sure, she was _really_ imaginative but she was still cute. And he felt like maybe there was just a small possibility that he had some type of fe-

Al's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the phone rang. He sighed, and handed the toy to Ann. He stood up and made his way to the phone.

"Hello?" He mentally smack himself. Winry had told him that if anyone ever calls to say that it was the Rockbell Automail Shop. Guess he failed at that (_again_).

"Fullmetal?" a deep voice said from the other end. Al recognized it immediately.

"Colonel Mustang! It's a surprise to hear you calling. Oh! No, this is Alphonse actually." Al said into the receiver.

"It's been a while, Al. Since your birthday, if I recall correctly. Sorry to be urgent, but is your brother around?" Roy asked.

"No, he went out for a little bit. Is there something you need?" Al asked.

"Yes. I need him to come to Central. The both of you with the little girl. Something's happened to the parents. Can you come as soon as possible?" Al's face immediately went to Ann.

"Ann's parents?" he said in horror.

"Can you come?" Roy repeated himself firmly. Al gave a small sigh.

"Yes. We'll be there as soon as we can." Ann's laugh echoed throughout the house.

**(A/N: So! How was it? Let me know. Sorry for the cliffhanger. How about this? Can I get at least six reviews? I'll update sooner. Promise. As usual review what you thought or review an idea you have or if you think I should improve. I will try my hardest to update as soon as I can.)**


	24. Chapter 24

**(A/N: Chibi, here. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to update as soon as I promised. Not only that, this is a short chapter. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. Thanks so much for the reviews, dearies. It means a lot to me!)**

Al tapped his foot on the floor, watching the door with impatience. He spent the last thirty minutes packing clothes for both him and his brother. But he was still out of it. Colonel Mustang's words echoed inside Al's mind. After the phonecall with him, he was just left stunned and unsure if he should already assume the worst. He hoped to whoever was out there that they were still alive and everything would be okay for Ann. Al suddenly heard muffled voices from outside. He knew it was Ed and Winry. He gave a sigh. From the sound of it, they finally made up and sounded like they were in a really good mood. The cold air entered the house as the door was carefully opened. Al couldn't help notice that Ed and Winry's lips looked a bit swollen. As much as he wanted to tease them about it, there just wasn't enough time.

"Brother! We need to go to Central!" Al said as Ed walked up to him.

"Whoa, hang on. Can I get a hi first?" Ed asked, a stupid grin on his face. Winry had gone to Ann's side and already was complaining out loud about her messy appearance.

"No. This is important. Something's happened to Ann's parents." Al said loud enough for Winry to hear from the other room. She walked in, her eyes wide with concern, and Ann in her arms.

"What….HOw do you know this?" Ed asked him. Al rubbed his left eye, a pounding sensation suddenly appearing in his head.

"Colonel Mustang called over thirty minutes ago. He didn't tell me what it was but just that they weren't in their hotel room when they went to go pick them up." Ann suddenly began to cry. Winry gave them an apologetic look.

"Sorry you guys, looks like Ann needs a diaper change. I'll be back." she said, taking Ann to her room where her baby bag was. Ed leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest. A small sigh escaped his lips.

"I get the feeling they might have been kidnapped." Ed said out loud. Al could feel the pounding get stronger but he chose to ignore it.

"Mmm. Why do you say that?" Al asked, trying to see where Ed's thinking was going. Ed looked over at his younger brother, his face scrunched up in thought.

"Well, think about it. Ann's parents went to Central because they were going to help Colonel Mustang with the affairs in Ishval. Somebody, and I'm not going to assume who, probably still holds a grudge against either Amestris or Ishval." he explained. Al rubbed his temples.

"Then, Ann's parents probably hold a bigger piece of the puzzle than we thought." Al said. Ed nodded. He noticed the suitcases beside Al's feet.

"Already packed, huh? Did you call the train station?" he asked. Al rolled his eyes.

"Brother, you already know I did. I was always in charge of that stuff when we were traveling around." he told him. Ed gave a small grin.

"Looks like our travels aren't over yet." he said more to himself then to Al. Winry came down her room, also carrying her own bag.

"I'm going too." she declared. Ed stared at her in confusion.  
"Um, no you're not. Win, if something happened to Ann's parents, there's a chance something could happen to us." he said. Winry scoffed,

"I'm going because of Ann, Ed. I highly doubt you two are going to be able to walk around taking care of a baby. You'd forget her somewhere and then you'd be wishing I came along." she retorted. Ed groaned. But she did have a point.

"Alright, fine. Bring your automail stuff too. Something could happen to my leg and then I'd be just as useless as that Colonel bastard on a rainy day." Winry smiled and ran to the automail shop to grab her tools. Al's eyes felt like it was on fire.

"Oww." he said, holding his hand up to his eye. Ed looked at him.

"You okay, Al?" he asked. Al shook his head.

"My eye and head hurts." he told him.

"You're stressing out over the news. You're getting a migraine. I'll go grab some medicine from the medicine cabinet." Al nodded and walked to the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water. It was times like these where he was forcefully reminded that he could feel pain. Oh well. It was just a small price to pay.

"Wait! We need to call Granny!" Winry yelled throughout the house.

"We'll leave her a note. When we arrive at Central, we'll give her a call." Ed yelled back at her. _All this yelling is not helping at all _Al thought, rubbing his temples.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Al froze in his spot for a couple of seconds before he rushed to grab it but was too slow. Ed ripped the phone off the receiver.

"Hello?" he huffed.

"OH, EDWARD ELRIC. IT'S BEEN TOO LONG. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Ed moved the phone away from his ear. Ed gave Al a look and AL just shrugged.

"Hello, Major Armstrong." he said. Winry came out of the room with her tool box.

"Who is it?" she mouthed to Al.

"Major Armstrong." Al mouthed back to her. She gave an 'oh' and just nodded. Ed already looked annoyed and Al was pretty sure Ed was going to slam the phone back onto the receiver.

"Wait, what!?" Ed yelled. Ed groaned and placed a hand over his face.

"We don't need protection, Major." he mumbled. Ed rolled his eyes at the Major's response.

"Fine. We'll be there soon." he hung up the phone. Al waited for Ed to tell him why the Major had called.

"He's at the train station here in Resembool. He called from one of the lines there. Apparently, the Colonel had insisted that we should be escorted all the way to Central." Ed said stubbornly. Al's eyes whipped quickly to him.

"You do know what that means though, right Ed?" Al asked him. Ed wasn't even fazed by this. He nodded and sighed.

"The person who did something to Ann's parents is in Resembool, probably for Ann." he said. Al stayed silent, unsure of what to say next.

"Then, they were kidnapped?" Winry asked. Ed shrugged.

"That's what we're hoping, Winry."

**(A/N: Review?)**

**(A/N2: I wrote new one-shots in case you want to read them. They're called Oh, Winry, Laughter, and The Definition and Example of the Word Beautiful.)**


	25. Chapter 25

**(A/N: Chibi-Sen, here with a couple of announcements. I have decided to...keep going with the story eyy! I'm sorry I didn't update in the longest of time but I mentioned in one of my one-shots that the laptop that I use to write these stories was broken and it's finally fixed! This story is back and running. There are a few tweaks here and there with my laptop, so _I'm not sure when the next update will be._ Just look for it soon, luvs. Thank you so much for your patience. Enjoy!)**

Not a hint of snow fell as the three of them-excluding Ann who was being carried by Winry- walked away from the comfort of their home to a danger that awaited. Al and Winry quietly traded stories to keep the tension from affecting the aura around them. Edward glanced behind him almost every second and did a 360 turn after taking ten steps.

"Brother, you look ridiculous. Relax. You're drawing attention to us." Al told Ed. Ed grunted in response, but he still looked tense. The truth was that Ed didn't have Alchemy to protect everyone. He could do some damage with his combat skills and his stubbornness combined, but most of the time it was Alchemy that had saved his behind all the time. This was his first time going out without Alchemy as his number one use of combat and if they should encounter anyone, chances are they would go for Winry and Ann first as their shield. Thinking about it made Ed even more tense.

"Hey, look, we're at the train station now." Winry exclaimed, pointing at it. Ed looked over at her and he gave out a small sigh. Secretly, he was glad Major Armstrong was meeting them at the train station as their bodyguard.

"IT'S THE ELRIC BROTHERS AND MS. ROCKBELL! OVER HERE." a booming voice called out from somewhere behind the red pillars. Major Armstrong came out and showed himself. He wasn't in his military uniform, which was a surprise. He figured he would have at least looked the part of a bodyguard.

"Hello, Maj-"  
"EDWARD! GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN." the major cut him off. Ed gave him a weird look. The major leaned in closer to Ed's ear.

"Colonel Mustang made it clear to me that I have come here during my own time and _not_ under military orders. It doesn't make us stand out." the Major informed Ed. Ed nodded and whispered the same information to Al and Winry. The two of them nodded at the major and greeted him using only his last name. Armstrong looked down at the bundle of joy Winry was caring in her arms.

"OH LOOK AT THIS JOYOUS BABY, FULL OF LIFE! SHE'S LOOKING SO WELL!" the Armstrong said loudly. Ed wanted to smack the Colonel. If he didn't want them to stand out, then he should have sent someone who doesn't stand out easily.

"What time is the train departing to Central, Ma-I mean- Armstrong?" Al asked. Armstrong looked down at his watch.

"The next train should arrive in thirty minutes. That should give us time to discuss what is needed to be discussed." They all nodded and headed to the side of the station to talk where they would be alone. Ed was the first to spurt all the questions in his mind.

"So, what's going on, Armstrong? Where are Ann's parents? Are they okay? HAve you guys figured out who is the one ordering this? Why did COlonel Mustang send you of all people?" Winry placed her hand on Ed's shoulder to let him know that he should shut his trap.

"We don't have much information either. What we do know is that this all has to do with the tension between the Amestrians and the Ishvalans." Armstrong explained.

"Enough tension to kidnapp people? Do you guys at east have any idea if this is the work of an Ishvalan or Amestrian?" The Major sighed and shook his head.

"It's impossible to tell. Ann's parents were Ishvalan but they were helping the Colonel in rebuiliding the little trust we have with one another. It could have been an Amestrian who didn't want the Ishvalans and the Amestrians to be at peace. Or it could have been an Ishvalan. At this point, we can't just assume anything. It would look bad either way." They all stayed quiet, trying to figure out what the hell is going on and what were they even going to do. Suddenly, Ann began to laugh, dissolving the tense atomoshpere created because of the conversation.

"Why does the Colonel want us to go to Central? He can figure this out all by himself." Ed asked the Major. The major sighed and looked over at Winry and Ann.

"He wanted to use the child as bait." he said, looking down. Winry frowned and pulled Ann closer to her body. Ed pulled in a depp breathe placing his on the bridge of his nose.

"Of all of the stupid...Alright, I understand why he would do this but it was probably not the way to go." Armstrong looked at Ed in surprise. Actually, all three of them looked at him in surprise. Ed glanced side to side, then behind him.

"What?" he asked rudely.

"Nothing. It's just that...you're taking this a lot more maturely than we all expected. Especially at news like this." Al explained.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm going to give that Colonel bastard an earful when we get there about this but it's no use getting mad now. We have to figure out a plan so we can get Ann both her parents back."

Ed explained. Armstrong nodded and went ahead and explained what the plan was. Throughout it, Winry looked at Ed a bit differently. Ed was known to be an immature idiot but at that moment, she had seen the man he was growing up to be. It made her feel happy knowing he was changing and opening up a little more.

"...and that's when we send in the shorty and little Ann." Armstrong teased, his sparkled surrounding him.

"DON'T CALL ME A SHORTY!" Ed yelled. Winry sighed. Aaaaaand it was gone.

LINE BREAK YO

They boarded onto the train thirty minutes later, information spinning and weaving through each of their minds. They had information-the silk- and they were putting it together-weaving- but the thing was they didn't know what they were creating. Ed felt like there was an even bigger piece missing. He was sure Armstrong didn't tell them everything. Not only that, using Ann as bait? She was only a little kid and she barely possed the self control to not drool. She could babble and say a couple of words here and there but to say a full sentence? She wasn't at that age yet. There was literally no reason to kidnap her. If they were going to hold her for ransom or something, then they shouldn't have kidnapped her parents and should have just kidnapped her instead. Maybe they were related to Colonel Mustang in some way. There was that possibility. Or maybe-

"Ed? Are you okay? You were mumbling to yourself." Winry asked. Ed hadn't realized that he was taling out loud.

"Sorry, Win." he said sheepishly. Al and Armstrong had gone to fetch all of them some water. It was just Winry and Ed.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll figure this out." Winry reassured him. Ed sighed.

"I know. I can't help but worry." Winry stayed quiet for a while before she decided to hand Ann over to Ed. She was sleeping peacefully. Ed fumbled for a second, awkwardly holding her until Ann pressed her face to Ed's chest, relaxing instantly. Ed found himself relaxing too.

"Wow. She's almost like a healing charm." Ed joked. Winry giggled.

"Go to sleep. You'll need your rest for when we arrive."

"But who's going to keep you company?" Ed teased.

"Sleep." Winry said. He closed his eyes and held Ann close to his body. The whole entire train ride, even when Armstrong and Al were there, she couldn't help but get this weird feeling like someone was watching them.


End file.
